Hail to the Little Caesars

I don't know about other food bloggers, but for myself, I find I frequent certain places but completely forget to actually write about them on here. Little Caesars is one place I'm guilty of this.

For those who aren't familiar with Theo Kalogeracos's chain of gourmet pizza places (Mundaring --> Leederville --> Hillarys), this is the place to go when you want to try something other than your standard hawaiian pizza or meat lovers. Not that there's anything wrong with normal pizza!

The names of the pizzas are unique as the combinations of flavours and toppings themselves. The menu listing is extensive and ever growing; and there's an array of award winning pizzas to choose from if you're after the headliners.

Depending on who I go here with, I tend to have certain pizzas I gravitate towards.

'Smashing Pumpkins' is one I have a particular love for ($21 for the largest size). It's comprised of a base that's neither thick nor thin smothered in a creamy sauce and topped with roasted pumpkin, cashews, mozzarella and parmesan. It's vibrantly orange, decadent and delicious!

There's also 'Jane's Addiction' (yes another band name, there's many here), which is $22.50 for the largest size. It's a seafood pizza which features garlic prawns, mozzarella, prosciutto, cream sauce and lemon. It's fresh, rich and somehow luxurious.

Another notable menu item is the 'Greek Lamb' ($22 for the largest size). It's Corrigin free range lamb, mozzarella, semi-caramelized onion, feta, olives, rosemary and tzatziki. Such classic flavours it's like stepping into a Greek kitchen and embracing so many of the ingredients that make this cuisine wonderful. This is definitely a pizza that seems to be a throwback to Theo's origins.

And of course I have my wishlist of pizzas to eventually try. 'Birds of Tokyo' with it's teriyaki chicken and japanese mayonnaise appeals to me SO much I actually hate to admit it. Or there's the extremely lavish ' Chicken Fettucine' which actually has mounds of creamy pasta on top of the pizza base. More carbs with your carbs anyone?

I've been to Little Caesars twice recently. On the first occasion a couple Sundays ago, I went with my best friend Carly for a catch up over a delicious meal. Like myself she suffers from a great feta addiction, so as we peruse the menu we find ourselves inexplicably drawn to the 'Quattro Formaggi'. Aka four cheeses. Think ricotta, feta, mozzarella and parmesan with sauce and oregano. It's no wonder it's an award winning pizza with this combination of cheeses.

However since we're feeling a little greedy, we decide to customise our pizza - which the staff are only too happy to facilitate. We add spinach and prosciutto... and the result is heaven.

We've ordered a gluten free base (an extra $3) and I have to say this is one of the few places that actually does it well. The base is delicious and not too heavy - I'd actually say it's better than the normal bases and doesn't leave me feeling disgustingly full as a result.

The cheeses are a great combination. The ricotta is more bland but adds a nice texture to each bite. The mozzarella expansive and lining the pizza while the feta offers a salty cut through. And then the parmesan, well that's sharp and moorish. The additions of spinach and prosciutto only seem to elevate this pizza even higher. I'll definitely be remembering this topping combo for the future!

Probably one of the most exciting things about Little Caesars is their desserts. Think basically any kind of your standard dessert fare and put it on a pizza base.

I haven't tried too many of the options but I have eaten the 'Mudhoney' (chocolate mud cake, honey, chocolate sauce, chocolate buttons) and the 'Eskimo Joe' (choc chip cookie mix, icing sugar, vanilla ice cream, raspberry sauce). On this particular visit, it's Jeremy and I paying a trip to Hillarys after devouring our dinner at home. We're completely stumped on what to have for dessert, and somehow have happily landed on here.

We umm and ahh over the menu for a few minutes, throwing around different options for our dessert. But finally we settle on our choice - 'Little Boy Blue' ($16). It's custard, apple slices, blueberries, blueberry sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a liberal sprinkling of icing sugar.

There's something so foreign about eating dessert on a pizza. But the taste is great - the custard thick and plentiful; the fruit slightly tart. The downfall is that the ice cream melts incredibly quick and unless you go and ask specifically, no cutlery is provided making it a difficult pizza to eat.

Little Caesars is fun. It's wildly popular which means sometimes you do have to wait, but the genius and creativity in its food is worth it. It might not be the height of the culinary world - but it tastes good and that's all that matters.