Pizza served hot, fresh and with a side of tongue in cheek social media popularity piss-taking. Everyone in our group was certainly full and without complaint.

Let's set up shop away from other restaurants.

Usually, businesses that benefit from foot traffic and frequent passers-by (such as restaurants) situate themselves next to other similar businesses. In this respect, Da Orlando Pizzeria has decided to opt for a different approach. Call it the revitalisation of industrial urban areas or a form of gentrification. Whatever it is, it appears that Da Orlando has the balls to surround themselves with smash-repairers and commercial printers. As a result, Da Orlando is located well outside the restaurant precinct of Wollongong.

Enter the garlic bread.

The garlic bread most Australians are used to is the sort of long, round, French-style baguette or roll about eight or ten inches long cut incompletely into about eight pieces with a dollop of garlic butter within each cut. When heated, the butter melts through the bread.

However, the garlic bread at Da Orlando is a pizza topped with oil, garlic and finely chopped parsley. Wood firing the pizza produces an earthy, ashen flavour infused with smoky flavours and a distinctive charred aroma. Perfect to prime your salivary glands!

Truth be told, Hayley and I chose the rosemary and olive oil bread, but ended up enjoying the garlic version more. If you like garlic, go for the tried and true. Rosemary and oil was just too subtle for my crude tastebuds.

Garlic just never disappoints.

Considering how many people now adjust their diet according to their revised ethics, does Da Orlando cater for vegans?

I ran my finger down both sides of the menu and began to roll my eyes.

However, when our convivial waitress asked us if we were ready to order, Hayley asked if they had any vegan options. Her reply was short and immediate. Within moments, we had in front of us an encouraging assortment of vegan options. To top it off, all bases are made with wholegrain flour. Don't think using healthier and more ethical ingredients for that matter, doesn't go unnoticed.

While we are on that topic, here are two vegan pizzerias that are worth both visiting and emulating. The articles listed below touch on these restaurants as part of broader discussion.

For those that live in Sydney, Gigi's Pizza;

And Melburnians, you've got Red Sparrow.

It is certainly time for Wollongong to get a dedicated vegan pizzeria. Gigi's didn't begin vegan. It's a sign that businesses can and do flourish selling ethical and delicious food now that the vegan movement is developing serious traction in 2018.

Vegans will appreciate Da Orlando's dedicated ethical menu free from meat, dairy or other animal-derived products.

The Sup-Veg.

A delicious pizza is created from the base up. Da Orlando takes the best part of an entire day to rest their dough. I'm not a baker, but I have made my fair share of pizza dough and bases from scratch and I can attest that giving more time to the development of the dough definitely improves the flavour and texture of the cooked base. If you are a lover of bread, you will really appreciate the pizza base, regardless of which option you choose.

Fresh vegetables and leafy greens adorn the 'Sup-Veg'. This is an easy way to up your vegetable consumption for the day while enjoying a meal that is typically considered unhealthy. A smear of herb infused tomato paste naturally lay beneath the toppings. I understand why more wasn't applied. Typically, the more moisture you add to the pizza, the soggier the base. It's therefore a tradeoff. Personally, I would have liked more sauce and much more garlic. Hayley liked the flavours as did I. I just would have liked more of them.

There was also a distinct lack of vegan cheese options for the pizzas. If Dominoes has been able to source a reliable supplier of high quality vegan cheese, small restaurants shouldn't have any problem either. People who have recently transitioned to a vegan lifestyle really need additional support to continue eating their comfort foods. Vegan cheese helps make this happen. Charge the extra dollar or two if you need to.

I just have to refresh my page. I'm sure someone has commented this time.

This mental insecurity isn't just the domain of teenagers and twenty-somethings spending all day on instagram, twitter, flickr and tumblr sharing their life for free. Unless of course you have a sizeable following of strangers then you may get some sponsorship. As readers of Steemit (and hopefully contributors yourself) you're getting something back. Good for you, trendsetter.

You'll find plenty of artwork across the walls of Da Orlando. So, if the conversation is lulling, just look up. The interior isn't traditionally dim and woody, it's bright and inviting and full of colour.

Straight to Instagram.

As you're aware, I treat the time I spend on Steemit with reverence. I have never posted a single picture without deep consideration as to why I posted it. While social media sites that promote short, 'film-frames' of their users lives have a place for casual browsers, there's very little room to appreciate value. If I see a photo, I want to know about the rest of the adventure. Which mountain peak was it? How long was the trek? Did you meet a new friend serendipitously? As humans, we are astute storytellers. Of course, our abilities to do this differ, but surely not to the degree that you've delegated that job to a single iPhone photo.

Please let your photographs complement your writing. Unless of course, you're a professional photographer producing wall art. Even then, those artworks are a part of room filled with people telling stories. Or eating pizza.

For the record, the dessert above wasn't vegan.

The Verdict.

Da Orlando Wood Fired Pizzeria provides a relaxing atmosphere in an unconventional place just South of the CBD. With vegan options, it is certainly worth visiting if you're in the mood for pizza. For what it is worth, Trip Advisor users have rated this pizza joint #5 of 371 restaurants in Wollongong.

Trading Hours

12pm - 3pm
5.30pm - 10pm

Closed Tuesday.

Ph.+61 (02) 4298 3011

All the best,

Nick.

Please UPVOTE this post if travel articles inspire you. Your vote keeps me writing my best content.

All content is original and belongs to @nickmorphew. [7 July 2018]

Disclosure: This article was not a paid promotion and was not self-upvoted. Nor were there any affiliate links.

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