Restaurant review: For the love of dough
Jessica Galletly explores That’s Enrico, an intimate Adelaide Hills dining room putting a spin on pizza.
There’s passionate, and then there’s Enrico Sgarbossa.
The restaurateur, who hails from Bessano del Grappa in Italy’s north, has honed his skills working with pizza dough as a flour technician (think, consultant) – first, for Italy’s Molino Dallagiovanna and now, a new Australian brand called Molino Carrieri.
Enrico founded Sydney pizzeria Al Taglio in 2016 and scored a nod of approval from world top chef, Massimo Bottura, for his fresh take on the craft. Then, in 2021, he relocated to the Adelaide Hills with his wife Akiha, after falling in love with its relaxed lifestyle.
My first ever conversation with Enrico went for 30 minutes and we spent 29 of those talking about pizza. At that point, he was spinning pizzas at winery Tilbrook Estate, but later parted ways to pursue his own passion project: a 20-seat pizza pocket in Lobethal called, That’s Enrico.
It’s a welcome addition to the quiet town known for its Christmas lights. A powder pink facade, striped fabric awning and window that peers into the kitchen creates an inviting charm that extends to its intimate dining space aglow with natural light.
Here, Enrico pushes the pizza paddle further than anywhere else in Adelaide right now. Diners can choose between three different sourdough bases: the “classic” – similar to Neapolitan but with a crisper base; the “thin and crispy”; and the multigrain double-cooked dough that’s slightly darker and crunchier. A gluten-free is also available. And they’re all cooked in an electric, rather than a wood-fired, oven.
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Sunday noon and the place is humming – seats book out weeks in advance. There are small families (taking multiple kids here would be a challenge) and intimate groups of friends. With a tight turnaround between sittings – there’s an 11.45am and 1.30pm – it’s not a place you can linger long.
Thankfully, food arrives quick. Straight up, a bite-sized bignè – a choux pastry puff traditionally filled with cream – gets the taste buds raring. Filled with whipped La Vera ricotta and feta and adorned with a single Italian anchovy before it’s finished with organic tomato “dust”, it’s a decadent, salty snack.
Other starters include antipasto misto, featuring Enrico’s “zero-waste” bread with a mix of local cured meats and cheeses. An advocate for sustainable cooking, Enrico repurposes dough offcuts into something new, from focaccia to sourdough loaves (he’s got Slow Food Australia’s “snail of approval”). All produce and drinks also are thoughtfully considered – local, biodynamic and organic features prominently. A beautifully dressed salad of mixed organic leaves, pickled onion and sweet shavings of apple is just one example of this.
Pizza purists may find themselves reading the menu a few times. Enrico puts a contemporary twist on traditional toppings while coming up with a few “funky” combinations that are proving popular with local crowds. Think taco pizza and bangers and mash, complete with gravy.
Margherita on “classic dough” comes with a well-structured crust that’s high and crisp, but not heavy. Vibrant red tomato and oozing mozzarella delivers on the trademarks of traditional Nap, only instead of full fresh basil leaves, it’s a basil emulsion that’s been drizzled in a spiral from the middle, out. This, Enrico says, isn’t for aesthetics, but to allow the kitchen to preserve basil at its peak – blackened basil leaves come winter are a bit of a bugbear for him. Personally, I miss the purity of a whole leaf. However, a bundle of fresh rocket in the centre of the pizza does offer some freshness for those who like a peppery edge. Vegans are catered for, too, with a tofu emulsion in place of cheese.
Cotto & Carciofi is a ham-lovers dream – it comes laden with the stuff, sourced from Marino Meats (cotto means “cooked” ham as opposed to prosciutto crudo). The carciofi – Italian for artichoke – came about thanks to a local customer who donated a bumper garden harvest. The kitchen team peeled, prepped and pureed the lot into a cream that’s drizzled over the pizza after baking, and brings a subtle, sweet nutty flavour.
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The real showstopper here is the double cooked dough, which is par-baked before being finished in the oven. The result is a well-rounded flavour and crunchy texture – a “new way to celebrate pizza”, Enrico says. The Calabria topping features generous blobs of spicy nduja – spread it around to avoid breaking a sweat – plus sweet red onion pickle, provolone and milky stracciatella cheese. It’s pizza, but not as you know it.
Do ask about the pasta of the day – today’s gnocchi are enrobed in a decadent asparagus “cream” and finished with shards of crisp prosciutto. The gnocchi itself are a little firm – semolina in the dough brings extra bite – but we still find ourselves repeatedly tucking in our forks for that glorious, green sauce.
Sweets are less than perfect today, a burnt-bottomed cheesecake the main culprit, though we’re told the kitchen is playing around with a wider, flatter version of what was once a traditional round, high-top cake. I’d like to see the latter. Other options include an icy gelato and – the pick of the bunch – individually set tiramisu that I’d love a little boozier and more coffee-soaked to fulfil its promise of a “pick-me-up”.
Before we know it, the next table has arrived, making this lunch short but sweet. At 1.30pm – the start of the second sitting – you might want to seek out another Hills haunt to stretch the afternoon. But it’s great to see something new, something different, in this part of SA. It’s all about the dough – and I suspect it’ll inspire a swathe of new pizza joints in the years ahead.
Chef: Enrico Sgarbossa
Cuisine: Pizza
Drinks: Thoughtful selection of local and biodynamic wines, local beer and organic Italian softies
Cost: Pizzas $25-$39
Must try: Double cooked dough
53 Main St, Lobethal
Open: Friday dinner; Saturday lunch and dinner; Sunday lunch
Hot take: Go for a pizza, then explore the Hills
This article first appeared in the December 2025 issue of SALIFE magazine.
