Red Hill Epicurean, Red Hill

On a day trip to the Mornington Peninsula, we decided to stop at Red Hill Epicurean for lunch to try their pizza.

‘The Shed’, as it’s called, is quite impressive. A big, bright and open space.

Our waitress seemed genuinely friendly and helpful at first, however when I told her we were fine with water, she questioned me in a slightly sarcastic tone which I found rude.

The first pizza we ordered was the Napul’e ($26.80) – tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, anchovies & oregano. The toppings were okay but you could tell that they weren’t high-quality. While we were expecting the base to be ‘thin and soft-crusted’ as it says on the menu, what we were not expecting was a base so thin that it was soggy and could not be picked up without the use of both hands.

Napul'e - tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, anchovies & oregano

The second was the Dante ($28.50) – pork sausages, mozzarella, mushrooms, truffle paste & caciocavallo. The flavours were nicer than those of the Napul’e thanks to the tart truffle paste. But once again it was let down by the soggy crust.

Dante - pork sausages, mozzarella, mushrooms, truffle paste & caciocavallo

If this were in Melbourne, it simply would not survive at these insane prices. It is only because they are so far out that they can charge this much. Quite frankly, there are better and cheaper options nearby.

Verdict: Overpriced pizza in a nice setting.

Food: 7

Service: 6

Atmosphere: 9

Value: 4

Would I come back? No.