E LOUNGE

2/ 409 Victoria St, Abbotsford - ph: (03) 9429 6060

Going through my old posts, I realised I've never blogged about E Lounge, my favourite local pizza place.

We looked all over Bridge Rd and Swan St for good pizzas when we first moved to Richmond. We'd never expect to find authentic Italian pizza in the heart of Vietnamese heaven on Victoria St. The big purple 'E Lounge' sign atop this small shop on Victoria St didn't really catch out eye as a potential Italian pizza destination.

Luckily, we walked past it enough times that we eventually decided to give it a try. Turns out E Lounge has been dishing out delicious, fine crust pizzas since the 1990s.

I like the intro to their menu:

Welcome to elounge, a pizzeria with a passionate approach to original Italian cuisine. elounge is built on the love for Italian culture and the blending of the finest local produce with authentic imported Italian ingredients.

Since incorporated, elounge has been dedicated and devoted towards preserving the art of the original Neopolitan pizza through its preparation and ingredients.

Enough said, now to the food: 

Insalata rucola e parmigiano - Rocket, roasted pine nuts, shaved grana padano with balsamic and olive oil ($13)

Pizza con porcini - Pomodoro, mascarpone, funghi porcini and pancetta ($23)

Pizza con melanzane - Pomodoro, mozzarella, roasted eggplant, roasted zucchini and semi dried tomatoes ($23)

The pictures were taken on my mobile and are not the best. Pizzas on the other hand, were excellent as usual. The base is always paper thin, crispy and perfectly cooked. A generous serve of good quality toppings  seals the deal.

The side rocket salad is fresh and well seasoned, also a generous serve.

Surprisingly, E Lounge is always busy, but never completely full. We have always been able to get a last minute booking for a Friday or Saturday night. Now that I think about it, maybe that's why I've never blogged about E Lounge before - it's the best kept secret on Victoria St!