Kitchen Confidential, Queensland Taste, The Courier Mail Tuesday, February 10, 2015, by Fiona Donnelly.

Bang Up For Pizza

Suburban favourite Sichuan Bang Bang at Kenmore is about to score a hot new neighbour.

Pizzeria Violetta, a traditional Neapolitan-style pizzeria, is scheduled to slot in beside the funky Chinese specialty spot this month.

Owner of both businesses is Renata Roberts, who;s expecting an imported, hand built Stefano Ferrara wood-fired oven to be craned in via the roof of the old Wongabel Newspower newsagents this week.  "It's a big sucker - weighs about two-and-a-half tonne and takes up about half the space, Roberts says.

She's also snapped up three Italian pizzaioli "straight off the boat", who know just how to tame the oven's 400C fierceness.

"It will be open the same hours as Bang Bang - 5pm until late - its no bookings and no BYO. We will be doing takeaway."

Diners can expect a dozen pared-back pizzas, and five "Ottolenghi style" salads with a range of $10 stuzzichini (small appetisers) on offer.

"We'll just have one cocktail, an Aperol Spritz, about seven to eight wines and one prosecco," Roberts says.  The pizzeria, named after a character in the opera La Traviata, is just the first step in her expansion plans.  Roberts hopes to open a few more places in the western suburbs before too long.  

"In Sydney and Melbourne, every single suburb n=has got great eateries.  It's just not the same here and I really want to change that."

The hospitality veteran, who's launched 17 restaurants in Australia and China, says she branched into pizza because she felt no obe was doing them well within a 10km radius.  "I love Italian food and there was nowhere I could drive to find a pizza.  It's about meeting a demand," she said.

Interiors at the 55sqm venue will be unfussy but chic, sporting a mix of designer stools, banquette and booth seating.