PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIABentham Street bar and pizza adds a little buzz to the otherwise quiet Yarralumla neighbourhood shops. Small and cosy inside, it can get cramped quickly in which case you’ll need to escape to the kerbside seating. There’s a vaguely Italian feeling to the place. Here and there little clues fuel my suspicion – unfamiliar mineral water stacked near the door, Ezio the bartender’s accent. It’s also the unexpectedly gourmet pizza toppings, and the effort and attention that’s gone into the wine list which offers tasting notes for each different drop. It informs me that my Rymill Merlot Cabernet has “concentrated flavours of quince paste and subtle hints of toasted nuts that linger on the finish.” My uncultured palate says grapes, but I appreciate the thought. All wines are available by the glass. That’s earns a tick.
The menu gives me salads, bruschetta, bar nibblies, and eat-in or takeaway pizzas available gluten free on request. Another tick. Pizza for one sits around the $15 mark, pizza to share around $18. The prawn, parmesan and pesto pizza is a bit hit, especially with the literary nerds. Ham, mozzarella and bocconcini also seems to be pimping itself about the place. A fat pillar covered in awesome blackboard paint tells me the specials of the day. Too bad it’s behind the really tall bar.
Sarah Theeboom, February 2007
