“I bought a bit of a dud,” Hey Bianca co-owner Aman Takhar says of his recently acquired, rundown 1952 Austin bus. He picked it up with plans to expand his hole-in-the-wall CBD pizzeria with a roaming food truck. That idea soon went out the window. “Turns out it doesn’t run well … like, at all.”
Instead, he met with Sharni Honor and Sarah Bradford of retail and co-working space Summertown Studio, who agreed to let him park the new pizza van right outside. The Somerton site has become a magnet for local creatives and businesses, hosting pop-up markets, live music and regular appearances by Gang Gang's food truck. And now visitors will be able to grab Hey Bianca’s Napoli- and Sicilian-style pizzas nightly.
The bus is open for pick-ups (and delivery) from 5pm every day except Fridays, when it's open from 12pm for takeaway and dine-in. “We’re so pumped for people to be able to buy their pizza, come inside, sit, drink good coffee and hang out in the sunshine,” says Honor.
Hey Bianca favours traditional Italian ingredients. The margherita, Takhar says, is “as it should be”: fior di latte, house-made sugo, parmesan, basil and extra-virgin olive oil. The Miele is topped with casalingo salami and nutty Asiago cheese, and finished with a drizzle of chilli honey for the perfect balance of sweetness and spice.
The pizza dough is proofed for up to 72 hours, resulting in a chewy, bubbly base. The company also uses less yeast than most takeaway pizza places. “You know how sometimes when you eat takeaway pizza and you feel really thirsty afterwards?” says Takhar. “It’s usually because they’ve used a shit-tonne of yeast. Our dough is much lighter, so you don’t feel super full [afterwards].”
Hey Bianca is offering takeaway and delivery every evening from the Summertown Studio location. The delivery catchment takes in Marino in the south, West Beach in the north and Cumberland Park to the east.
Hey Bianca at Summertown Studio
13 Paringa Avenue, Somerton Park
Hours:
Mon to Tue 5pm–8.30pm
Wed to Thu 5pm–9pm
Fri 12pm–10pm
Sat 5pm–9.30pm
Sun 5pm–8.30pm
