Matteo’s Pizza Parlour has launched a lunchtime pop-up, dolling out Italian-inspired sandwiches, calzone and coffee from 11am to 2pm, Thursdays through Sundays.
The pop-up, dubbed Matteo’s Sandwich Shop, will operate from the front window of the Railway Parade Pizzeria in Highett until the end of September.
The selection of made-to-order sandwiches includes free-range Porchetta ciabatta with chilli, garlic, broccolini and Asiago cheese; salt & pepper calamari; and chicken cotoletta with honey mustard slaw.
The calzone are also fried-to-order. Matteo’s Neapolitan-style dough is made from imported Caputo flour and fermented for 3 days. The dough is then stuffed with a choice of Casalingo salami with two types of cheese. A vegan-friendly option is on offer too; it’s an endive with capers, olives, chilli and pine nuts filled version of a local specialty from a town near Naples, where executive chef Sam Kearney lived.
Co-owner Matt Ward, who’s behind These Days Coffee Roasting (known for its ethically-sourced, artisan beans), is taking care of the espresso.
The space has plenty of outdoor and undercover capacity for socially distanced pick-up, but stage 4 restrictions mean guests will need to be within 5km of the venue.
Ward and co-owner Matt Vero have opened 15 venues across Melbourne between them, including Rustica, Plain Sailing, Left Field, Marquis of Lorne, Holla Food and Drink, Prospect Espresso, Townhouse and Eastside Coffee.
The duo call the pop-up a “silver lining” of an otherwise uncertain time, saying it’s allowed them to share their passion for café culture with the Highett community.