This was the only free night for the colleague and good friend who travelled to Cairns solely for work, so we made him the third wheel again and went out in town for a dinner together. We decided to scout out the various eateries on the Esplanade that we had in mind before committing (dinner is serious business), and we found the place with the vibe we didn’t know we were looking for: La Pizza’s intoxicating scent of freshly baked pizza!
We’ve been getting a bit of rain but it’s all covered outdoor seating here. This Friday night was a busy night (I’ve actually lost sense of what day of the week it was because the work conference runs all the way to the weekend).
La Pizza allows pizza customisation including half/half, removing toppings or adding for extra, which was convenient as the friend didn’t want pineapple on his. We had to wait a good 40 minutes for our food, but with an open kitchen of the three chefs working non-stop in full view, you could hardly get angry.
There are three sizes available for all pizzas: small ($11-15), medium ($15-20), and large ($19-25). I got the Mexicana that came with salami and jalapeno on a nice thin base — in the only acceptable size, large ($22), of course. Richard got a medium Romano with prosciutto and rocket ($20), while Ali got the Supreme sans pineapple of the same size ($19).
The best part of the pizzas? The tomato sauce! Okay, I thought the pizza was omg yum get in my belly; Richard was the one who pointed out what made them especially good. Yup. Dating the right guy.
Richard and I revisited the restaurant a few days later on the Monday night. We’d intended to try the other Italian place across the road, but it’s closed on Mondays. And we did enjoy our first visit here.
Instead of pizza, this time we ordered pasta dishes. The base is a choice between fettuccine or penne, and Richard picked the Fettuccine Carbonara ($24). I went for the lasagne ($24), which, based on experience, could be a bit of a gamble of a restaurant order.
It was later into a less busy night so the wait was about half of what it was on the first night. The lasagne was also very much yum get in my belly and came with a side serving of salad covered in a generous amount of salad dressing. If I didn’t particularly feel like ragu, though, I think I would choose the pizza again. Makes sense; the place is called “La Pizza”, after all. smile
So far the food in Cairns has been unexpectedly good. Can’t wait for the next meal!
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