Ovest

Staff were very friendly & attentive. Nice selection of pizza toppings, however what separates great from good is the base. Sadly the pizza bases here are lacking.

Pizza is back on the menu for chef Ben Sisley and baker Alex Rogers at their new pizzeria Ovest, Italian for west.
Proud west-​siders and hospitality guns, Alex Rogers and Ben Sisley have put 20 years of friendship on the line to bring a splash of European flair to West Footscray. They have opened new family friendly pizza restaurant, Ovest.
Architects Mike and Louisa Macleod, and design studio Ortolan, have given the space an industrial feel. It is done in clean whites, bold blacks and with a burst of colour.
Walk in and grab a snack at the front bar while admiring the hand-​painted, geometric feature wall, or pull up a bentwood chair at one of the round tables and enjoy something substantial amidst a grand display of canned tomatoes, bags of flour and olive oil.
The menu, described by Sisley as «robust like the west», is still evolving. The pair has installed a Spanish, stone-​deck electric oven — the same one used at Rogers’ Sourdough Kitchen bakery. Expect a selection of traditional pizzas and some bianco bases, as well as main dishes such as a rare tuna nicoise and a pork-​and-​veal lasagne. It is all best paired with a glass of Italian or Australian wine, none more than $ 10.
With a long list of accomplished eateries to their names, Sisley describes Ovest as an, «Accumulation of all the venues Alex and I have worked in over the years.» Rogers brings his previous culinary expertise from Victoria’s Warrenmang Vineyard, while Sisley is known for his former head-​chef role at St Kilda’s Mr Wolf. His most recent stints also include food styling for celebrity chefs Heston Blumenthal and Curtis Stone. Despite their established skill set, they’re adamant it’s not about showing off, but simply bringing people together for a drink after work or a family occasion.

In the heart of WeFo (that’s West Footscray BTW) and amongst Little India is Ovest — the best pizza in the hood.
The chefs are from Mr Wolf so they know pizza. On a busy Thursday night, three of us decided to head out for wine, saganaki, nd pizza. We shared a bottle of Pinot, saganaki and zucchini chips to start.
Now the pizzas is where the magic happens.
First of all, they are huge. One is probably too much for one person. It hurts me to say it, but it’s true. We got three and we couldn’t finish them. We ended up with the mushroom, Napoletana and prawn/​chilli. They all had a delicious crunchy base, the beautiful smokey flavour you get from wood fire and salty cheese that dripped seductively off the edge.
Combined with funky minimalistic interior and friendly efficient service, this one is sure to be a hit with the locals. And even those of us who travel from Southside.