Pizza in Melbourne can be hit or miss. A lot of the time it’s either overpriced for the size or cheap but the quality reflects that lower price. Neither of these scenarios applies to Bay 101, on 101 Bay Street, Port Melbourne.
I decided to order some pizza on Uber Eats whilst feeling hungry in the afternoon, and instantly I’m inundated with what felt like hundreds of options. After scrolling for a couple of minutes Bay 101 caught my attention with its fantastic 4.8 out of 5 stars rating from 153 ratings. After browsing their menu I decided to go with a pizza classic, the timeless Margherita. It cost me $22 dollars plus a little more for the delivery.
The pizza was fantastic. I knew as soon as I lifted the lid of the pizza box and laid eyes on the pizza that it would be exquisite. There was an awesome amount of mozzarella cheese and the perfect amount of crust. Often quality pizza like this has too much crust for my liking, which limits the number of actual toppings. It was cooked to perfection, not too burned but not too doughy either. The mozzarella cheese was a real highlight, it was packed with flavour and also had an amazing creamy flavour.
This creamy flavour was expertly complemented by the red sauce tomato base. I was pleased that the tomato sauce base was still full of moisture and not dry from being overcooked or spread too thin. It was the ideal ratio of sauce to mozzarella cheese, both complementing one and other excellently. For a pizza with a good amount of mozzarella cheese, it wasn’t at all greasy. Typically pizzas that have a lot of mozzarella cheese are extremely greasy and sloppy, thankfully this was not the case at Bay 101.
One downside for me was that the pizza itself was not cut very well. This resulted in the toppings falling off the slice of pizza when I went to strip it off the rest of the pizza. This is actually very common for almost all of my pizza experiences. However, considering this isn’t an issue with the actual pizza flavour itself, I can’t complain much. Another thing to consider is the price. One thing that should be considered is the price, $22 for a Margherita pizza is definitely more expensive than your average pizza joint. So this price point may make it inaccessible for some people. Yet I would argue that the quality ingredients made evident by the fantastic taste, justifies this price.
So in conclusion Bay 101 was a great experience, the pizza tasted amazing and was the perfect size for me. My only gripe is that the cut of the pizza could have been done better to allow for easier eating. At $22 you get what you pay for, a great-tasting quality Margherita Pizza with quality mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce base.
Bay 101 Menu
Starters
CHIPS – $12
Beer battered russet chips with rosemary salt
POLENTA CHIPS – $16
Homemade polenta chips served with cheese fonduta sauce
ARANCINO CLASSICO (2pcs) – $16
Handmade rice arancini with beef Bolognese sauce,
peas, saffron and mozzarella, served on Napoli sauce
ARANCINO TRUFFLE & MUSHROOMS (2pcs) – $16
Handmade rice arancini stuffed with mushrooms,
truffle sauce and mozzarella, served with cheese fonduta sauce
BRUSCHETTA (2pcs) – $13
Diced tomato marinated with fresh basil & red onion served
on ciabatta bread. Add buffalo mozzarella +4
POTATO CROQUETTES (4pcs) – $15
Handmade crumbed & fried potato croquettes with aioli
MOZZARELLA CHEESE STICKS (4pcs) – $13
Crumbed & fried with Italian herbs, served with homemade aioli
EGGPLANT CHIPS – $16
Homemade fried eggplant chips served with chilli mayo
OVEN-BAKED OLIVES – $18
House marinated oven baked olives served with pizza bread
POLPETTE AL SUGO (4pcs) – $18
Homemade Italian beef meatballs slowly cooked
with San Marzano tomato, served with homemade bread
BAY ANTIPASTO (Suggested for 2) – $35
Board of daily Chef’s selection with homemade bread
FRITTO MISTO BOARD (Suggested for 2) – $35
Mix of arancini, polenta chips, eggplant chips, potato croquettes
& mozzarella sticks served with homemade aioli & cheese sauce
Mains
CHICKEN COTOLETTA – $27
Crumbed chicken schnitzel served with chips & mixed salad
CHICKEN PARMIGIANA – $32
Crumbed chicken schnitzel covered with Napoli sauce,
melted mozzarella served with chips & mixed salad
PORK RIBS – $39
Slow-cooked pork ribs served with porcini mushroom sauce,
chips and mixed salad
GRILLED CALAMARI – $33
Grilled calamari strips on a bed of rocket & orange
GRILLED BARRAMUNDI – $36
Grilled barramundi fillet topped with capers sauce
served with mixed salad
GRILLED SEAFOOD – $39
Daily selection of fresh grilled seafood served with mixed salad
SPIEDINI DI POLLO (2pcs) – $35
Chicken and vegetable skewers served with chips and mixed salad
PORTERHOUSE TAGLIATA – $36
Grilled porterhouse (300 gr.) served with mash potatoes,
steamed dutch carrots, broccolini and porcini mushroom sauce
GRIGLIATA MISTA (Suggested for 2) – $90
Grilled meat platter served with chips & mixed salad
(Rump steak, Pork Ribs, pork sausage, chicken skewers, lamb chops)
Focaccia
OLIO E SALE – $12
Sea salt, evo, oregano
PROSCIUTTO – $17
Sea salt, evoo, oregano & San Daniele prosciutto
MELTED MOZZARELLA & GARLIC – $17
Fior di latte mozzarella, garlic, evoo, sea salt, oregano
TRICOLORE – $17
Fresh buffalo mozzarella, sundried tomato, fresh basil, sea salt
Salad
GARDEN SALAD – $12
Mixed leaf salad, cherry tomato, pickled cucumber, dressing
CALAMARI FRITTI SALAD – $28
Lightly fried calamari served with rocket and cherry tomato,
dressing
CHICKEN SALAD – $25
Grilled chicken tenderloins served with mixed lettuce, cherry
tomato and capsicum, dressing.
Add avocado + $4
Pasta & Co.
GNOCCHI PORCINI – $29
Homemade potato gnocchi with porcini mushroom creamy sauce& Parmesan. Add crispy prosciutto +3
GNOCCHI SORRENTINA – $28
Homemade potato gnocchi tossed in Napoli sauce,
fior di latte mozzarella, fresh basil & Parmesan
RIGATONI ALLA NORMA – $28
Deep-fried eggplant with Napoli sauce, topped with fresh
buffalo mozzarella, basil & Parmesan
RIGATONI WITH PULLED LAMB – $35
Tossed with slow-cooked pulled lamb, cherry tomato,
dehydrated olives & Parmesan
PAPPARDELLE BOLOGNESE – $28
Tossed with beef Bolognese sauce & Parmesan
VEGGIE LASAGNA – $29
Homemade with seasoned veggies, bechamel & Parmesan
TRADITIONAL LASAGNA – $29
Homemade with beef Bolognese sauce, bechamel & Parmesan
PRAWN RISOTTO – $32
Risotto with prawns, zucchini and mint
SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGOLE – $32
Spaghetti tossed with clams, white wine, cherry tomato, chilli
SPAGHETTI CHILLI PRAWN – $33
Spaghetti tossed with prawns, zucchini, cherry tomato, chilli
SPAGHETTI MARINARA – $36
Selection of fresh seafood tossed with cherry tomato, garlic,
touch of chilli and parsley served with your choice of sauce:
white wine or Napoli sauce
Pizza
SPUNTINO – $27
Fior di latte mozzarella, pancetta, smoked scamorza cheese,
roast potatoes & rosemary
ITALIA – $25
Fior di latte mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil pesto
(contains nuts)
SALSICCIA TRUFFLE – $28
Fior di latte mozzarella, mixed mushrooms, truffle, sausage,
Parmesan
ZIO FRANK – $26
Fior di latte mozzarella, roast potatoes, hot salami, onion & rosemary
TARTUFATA – $29
Fior di latte mozzarella, truffle sauce, roasted potatoes, porcini
mushrooms, San Daniele prosciutto
SALMONE – $26
Yellow tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella, smoked salmon,
capers & lemon
GAMBERETTI & ZUCCHINE – $28
Fior di latte mozzarella, zucchini, prawns, cherry tomatoes,
fresh buffalo mozzarella, garlic oil & chilli flakes
QUATTRO FORMAGGI – $26
Fior di latte mozzarella, smoked scamorza cheese, gorgonzola cheese,
Parmesan, rocket & walnuts
MARGHERITA – $22
San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella & basil
NAPOLETANA – $25
San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, olives, capers,
anchovies, garlic oil & oregano
VEGETARIANA – $28
San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, mushrooms,
capsicum, roast potatoes, zucchini. Add buffalo mozzarella +4
CAPRICCIOSA – $27
San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, leg ham,
mushrooms, olives & artichokes
MEXICANA – $27
San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, hot salami,
red onion, olives, capsicum & chilli flakes
NDUJA – $28
San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, ‘nduja, hot salami, olives
ITALIAN MEAT LOVERS – $28
San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, pancetta,
sausage, hot salami, leg ham
MARI E MONTI – $28
San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, mushrooms,
prawns, olives & chilli flakes
SAN DANIELE – $28
San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, rocket,
San Daniele prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella
Calzoni
CALZONE RICOTTA – $25
San Marzano tomato, fresh ricotta, fior di latte mozzarella,
leg ham & basil
CALZONE PROSCIUTTO – $26
Fior di latte mozzarella, smoked scamorza cheese, San Daniele
prosciutto, shaved Parmesan
SPICY CALZONE – $26
San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, hot salami,
capsicum, red onion & chilli flakes
