Originally published on Broadsheet

Remember when you were a child and a restaurant would hand you a bunch of crayons to draw on the waxed table sheet? Motorina doesn’t do that.

Instead, owners Raoul Symons (ex-chef at France-Soir) and Dom Lumsden give kids a roll of dough to play around with, in pursuit of teaching them about the art of pizza.

Motorina serves up good-hearted Italian pasta dishes and pizzas. The cosy, family-vibe establishment respects the homeland by featuring Italian classics such as margherita and capricciosa, while offering more inventive options such as a minced chicken and green-olive-purée pizza.

At night, the restaurant is also a dessert bar in its own right, as people trickle down from Elsternwick’s Classic Cinema to indulge in post-movie sweetness. An array of dessert pizzas is on offer, such as Tuscan fig with panna cotta gelato.

The intimate space has noir photos of Italy sprinkled across the walls, which are easy to get lost in when sipping your BYO wine or a sparkling San Pellegrino from the menu.

If you’d rather enjoy your doughy goodness at home, the restaurant also delivers.

DETAILS

4 Horne Street
Elsternwick, 3185
(03) 9528 6044