PIZZA OLLA - CAMMERAY, SYDNEY

Pizza Olla Pizza and Pasta Bar
Stockland Cammeray
450 Miller St
Cammeray, Sydney

Nestled in Cammeray is one of their local hidden treasures - Pizza Olla.

It's part of a growing restaurant district that is attracting more than just the locals.

With ample parking underneath in Stocklands it eliminates one challenge.

Your next challenge is whether to sit inside or outside (depending on the weather of course) and what to order from the extensive menu.

Pizza Olla pride themselves on the freshness and the range of their pizzas - but they also have great pasta, salads and desserts as well.

One of the big things about the pizza here at Pizza Olla is that you can have half and half pizzas. Our first pizza was half ras el hanout - chicken breast fillet marinated in Moroccan spice, grilled eggplant and Roma tomato topped with sesame seeds and wild rocket. The other half was peri peri prawn - tiger prawns marinated in Portuguese peri peri sauce with Spanish onion, chilli's, jalapenos served with mint yoghurt sauce on the side. Wow - both were amazing on a lovely thin base but the prawn was my favourite!

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Our next pizza was again a half/half with one part margherita - made from imported buffalina mozzarella cheese and herbs - which was delicious. We choose margherita at most pizza places - it's a great test and Pizza Olla passed well! The other half was bologna - lean home made beef bolognaise with Roma tomato, jalapenos and olives topped with sliced avocado. This was Mlady's favourite of the night because of the sauce which she raved about.

You can mix and match pasta's as well. Choose your pasta, your sauce and any extra's. We tried owner Georges favourite of spinach and ricotta ravioli with pesto sauce (made from fresh basil, roasted pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic) and then tossed with matadore (thinly sliced tenderloin lamb fillets sauteed in pesto sauce). This was amazing. The whole combination was great and the lamb was extremely tender.

At Pizza Olla the gelato is very popular - we noticed this on our visit. However the Malibu mango dessert pizza caught our eye. It was mango slices - infused with Malibu rum, passionfruit and then topped with slivered almonds and lemon gelato.

Yum - this was lovely. The Malibu was distinct and went so well with the mango. The base was thin and not overpowering and the lemon gelato contrasted nicely with the sweet toppings. So good!

Pizza Olla serves really good food with great flavours. Sauces are made in house and you can mix and match pizza bases, toppings and sauces. They have great pasta options as well - again with the mix and match opportunity. Service is friendly and efficient and the whole place has a very comfortable homey feel to it. Pizza Olla is all about food, friends and family! 

Sir and Mlady dined as guest of Pizza Olla. Special thanks to owners George and Charmaine. Thanks also to Restaurant Marketing Services for arranging our visit and to Jordan for looking after us so well on the night. 

MS MILLER - CAMMERAY, SYDNEY

Ms Miller
457 Miller St
Cammeray, Sydney

Ms Miller is the new kid on the block in Cammeray that is attracting a lot of attention - both locally and from afar. It's the brainchild of James and Will Christopher and its a quaint place that has interesting and quirky decor, great food and impeccable service. It ticks all the boxes.

The menu from chef James Featherstone (who had success in the UK on MasterChef Professionals) has plenty of wonderful options on it. These go from smaller plates for nibbles through to larger sharing plates - or raciones. There are also always several specials to choose from the board - which we gladly did! On a balmy evening it would be nice to relax in the outdoor area and enjoy your meal, but there's always the indoor area and even bar seating for those that prefer this option.

We had trouble deciding what to choose from the many tasty options available so we started with a serving of marinated mixed olives.

They had been house marinated in a blend of citrus, chilli and thyme.

It was a great mix and the flavours were rich and full. A small bowl for the pips was also a nice touch! At only $6.00 it was good value as well.

Of course it's hard to eat tapas and not have a drink to go with it! Instead of just going straight to a bottle of red from a pretty good wine list, Mlady decided to start with a glass of Sangria - but you can also get this by the jug.

She raved about it and kept wanting more!

I stuck to the red and thoroughly enjoyed a lively Ecco de Vitoria Organic Tempranillo.

We eventually decided on four raciones - three from the menu and one from the specials board.

The paprika salt squid with aioli was recommended to us by our waiter Lewis, and it was a winner.

It was incredibly light and tender with lovely subtle flavours.

At only $14.00 for a good sized serving it was again great value as well.

Our second choice was the potato and chorizo bombay with spicy tomato sauce and aioli. This was from the specials board.

We weren't 100% sure what to expect here - but we're extremely glad we ordered this dish.
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It was fantastic.

They were like round croquettes filled with potato and chorizo and each one was swimming in a tick rich tangy tomato sauce.

The bombays were delicious and so was the sauce - we finished every last drop of it!

At $15.00 for three big pieces it was good value for a really great dish.

We both love stuffed peppers so when we saw the piquillo peppers stuffed with goats cheese, corn and fresh herbs on the menu they were a sure choice.

These were quite unique with the corn being almost crunchy in a mass of melted goats cheese inside the peppers. It was a great blend of textures and the flavours were just as good. Like all the other dishes it arrived beautifully presented as well. Again they were good value at $14.00 for three.

While there are some people that don't like pork belly - I'm certainly at the opposite end of the spectrum!

The pork belly, guindillas and beetroot bocadillo in a serving of three was another recommendation - and another great one at that! The pork melted in my mouth and the crackling garnish looked and tasted great too!

At $16.00 for three they were a bargain.

We were quite full from the main courses but it's always hard to resist dessert - especially with a sweet tooth!

Mlady loves creme brulle and its southern cousin - crema Catalan - which she chose from the specials board. The sweet crust was lovely as was the custard underneath.

It also came with some delicious home made turron (a type of nougat) for a very reasonable $12.00.

I love Pedro Ximinez - so spying the Pedro Ximenez affogato on the specials board had already determined my choice!

It arrived on a platter with three parts - the coffee, the ice cream and the Pedro Ximenez.

This was excellent and only $14.00.

Ms Miller has wonderful food in generous quantities at extremely reasonable prices with beautiful presentation. The decor is quirky and interesting. It has a very European feel to it in downtown Cammeray.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Ms Miller and owners James and Will Christopher. Special thanks also to Lewis for looking after us so well on the night and to James Featherstone for his lovely food.