Firechief

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WHERE AND WHAT

It may (or may not) be housed in an old fire station, but Firechief, one of the recent additions to the Paul Mathis stable, sure has firepower. A pizza lover's nirvana, there are three types of bases from which to choose, covering all the ground from the classic minimalist Naples-style pizza to the abundance of the Aussie topped with egg. A hundred metres from the Rivoli Cinemas in an area not exactly brimming with enticing eating propositions, Firechief has the cinema crowd sewn up and doesn't sell them short.

WHERE TO SIT

It's a grand old space, with the potential coldness of the high ceilings and glass frontage mollified by the warm shades of the particle board ceiling, retro red-and-white-chequered floor and textured wall hangings. Tables are close-set - noise alert - and the hard-backed wooden seats channel a schoolroom vibe but are more comfortable than they look. Continue past the open kitchen to Goldilocks Cafe, also owned by Mathis, where Firechief's busy-weekend overspill customers are seated.

WHEN TO GO

Daily, noon-3pm and 5pm-late.

DRINK

Pizza goes perfectly with beer and there's a neat, mostly Italian, list. The wine list is short and similarly Italian-leaning, with handy breakdowns by palate weight.

EAT

Pizza is the main thing here, chosen from Firechief's three Italian-made ovens - a wood-fired number adhering to the exacting standards of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, plus a twin-deck, stone-based oven and a modern conveyor-belt version. The important distinction is that each cooks at different rates and temperatures for different results. The wood-fired Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) pizza, topped with San Marzano tomato puree, fiore di latte, anchovy, black olives and oregano, is too droopy to eat comfortably without cutlery but the texture is incredibly light with the right proportion of soft crunch. The slightly heftier bases from the Moretti twin-deck oven take a more new-age approach - pulled pork with shaved raw fennel in salsa verde is a left-of-centre winner. We didn't venture to the conveyer oven for ''the great Australian family pizza'', but they're not above the Hawaiian. Although pizza is the headline act, Firechief isn't a one-trick pony. Grilled butterflied sardines arrive on sourdough toasts with fresh herbs, currants and harissa; spaghetti cosies up with the convincing combination of broccoli and chilli in an oil-based sauce, the parmesan grater thoughtfully left on the table. For afters, the orange torta with whipped mascarpone is dense and moist, while the chocolate-and-coffee mousse is a full-bodied flavour bomb.

WHO'S THERE

Cinema patrons grabbing a quick bite; families with 2.3 children.

WHY BOTHER?

Great pizza and a funky vibe.

Firechief - 169 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East, phone 9831 1700.