Ciccio’s Pizza and Gelato is the handiwork of Emanuele Malara, a passionate pizza and pastry chef who hails from Sicily and has 23 years of hospitality experience under his belt, alongside Enzo Marturano, who previously brought us Enzo’s Cucina. Named after Emanuele’s son, Ciccio’s Pizza and Gelato is transforming the space that was formerly occupied by Marilyn’s Bar & Diner into an intimate and convivial 60-seat neighbourhood pizza place.

The details on the fit-out are still a work in progress, but we’re told there will be a gelato bar at the very front of the venue slinging scoops of freshly made gelato (the proper Italian stuff), while at the back end there will be an open kitchen where you will be able to watch Emanuele and the team shape, knead and spin the dough before sending it into the woodfired oven for baking.

When it comes to dough, Emanuele is a master. He’s spent the last decade manning the ovens at some of the city’s most-loved slice slingers, before stepping out from the kitchen and into a consulting role, which saw him impart his skills and knowledge on restaurants across Australia. While pizza dough might seem like a pretty straightforward mix of flour, salt, yeast and olive oil, it’s anything but, Emanuele says. Contemporary style, he tells us, is the hardest kind as there is a lot of processes and knowledge that comes with high fermentation.

“High fermentation is biology,” Emanuele says. “You’re not a pizza chef anymore – you need to know how the microorganism acts in the process, and you need to be able to control this microorganism if you want to be consistent.” Luckily for us, we needn’t worry too much about the formulas and ferments, as Emanuele has things well and truly under control.

While contemporary-style dough is indeed more effort, the result is delightfully light and easy to digest. As for the all-important toppings, there will be roughly 30 different kinds to choose from across two different menus – classic and gourmet, which will offer some interesting and new flavour combinations you won’t find anywhere else. Rounding out the offering will be a robust selection of Italian wines, including a pizza and wine pairing. Suffice to say, we’re excited!

Ciccio’s Pizza and Gelato is targeting a September opening – as always, we’ll bring you all of the delicious details oh-so-soon.