La Piadina, Bondi Beach.

It all began on an indecisive Autumn evening with Fernanda, "Where to go for dinner?".

We went to Beach Rd first, "maybe some tapas?"
But it was closed down.

Lebanese/Mexican/Thai? No, not quite in the mood.

Then, we saw it. Tucked away, almost invisible, was a rustic Italian storefront, its amber glow inviting us, perhaps drawing us inside. We glanced around the tiny restaurant/cafe, at other peoples plates - or what I should actually call wood blocks. Almost a quasadilla, almost a pizza, but not quite. Though we didn't know what it was, it looked ever so delicious.

So we sat upon high stools and ordered two to share. One with Pancetta/Rocket and some form of soft cheese, and the other with Buffalo Mozzarella/Tomato/andRocket. We didn't order wine, but just having the option was comforting. When it came, we could almost hear 'Hallelujahs' from heaven being sung. (am I being too dramatic? ) So light, yet filling. Absolutely divine.

Perhaps 'Time Out' describes it better than me:
'Walk into this tiny little Bondi eatery that's nearly all kitchen with a cluster of tall tables and chairs to match, and you probably wouldn't say there was anything crazily special about it. That is, until you start noticing the small things: the meat being sliced to order, the menu consisting of only one thing (piadina, a kind of Italian pizza/flatbread type thing originating in Emilia-Romagna) and the good-looking Italian men running the shop.Brothers Damiano (ex-Pizza Mario and Sugo) and Sausdo Zizioli have been flipping the piadina for more than four months and if you push their business cards together, the pictures form a scooter. Nice.

Thin, slightly scorched flat bread is made from dough that's rolled out super-thin, spread out on a hotplate and holds anything from nduja (a type of soft spicy sausage, a bit like paté; say it like en-doya) to mozzarella, salami, prosciutto or Nutella. An individual serve is enough even if you're super-hungry, but order a few in a group so you can try everything. Sausage, mozzarella and mushroom sees ultra-meaty mushrooms team up with thin slices of Italian-style sausage and globs of cheese while (our favourite) the nduja is spread over the dough with mozzarella and slices of salami – spicy, peppery and totally yum.

The meat, by the by, comes from rising-star-of-smallgoods Tony Sgro and his company, Quattro Stelle. Sgro's the only guy to be doing the super-authentic squashy nduja you see on the piadina here. That said, these guys are the only people to be doing piadina in Sydney, so it's a good marriage.They do shortcrust pastry too, and their coffee is excellent. Try a slice of mango crostata or a little tart filled with fig jam and decorated with a shortcrust hippo.

Each pocket of deliciousness is served on a little board replete with thumb nub and "La Piadina" burnt into them. Sit at the bar under the window, take in the breeze and sit among the strawberry, oregano, parsley and bay planted in little terracotta pots along the sill. Spotted throughout the room there's an army of plastic animals (there's a triceratops and diplodocus, as well as a regular old tiger), and deep soul thuds from the speakers. Cookbooks sit in a pile mixed up with the morning papers in a happy jumble. Naturally, there's a scooter parked out the front.

It isn't fine dining, it doesn't have a hub of people cramming in for lunch and it isn't trendy. What it is, though, is a casual, easygoing spot that does great food for not very much money.'

Words cannot describe. Just go, experience and enjoy.

La Piadina
106 Glenayr Ave
Bondi Beach
2026
TUES-SUN 9AM-10PM, CLOSED MON