Il Forno 4.05

7/111-117 Williams Esplanade
Cairns, QLD 4879
Australia

About Il Forno

Il Forno Il Forno is one of the popular place listed under Place To Eat/Drink in Cairns ,

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Il Forno’s history is more a long, passionate love story of sacred ingredients, secret recipes and joy that continues to enchant all involved in the relationship. It all began in 1992 when a young family of restaurateurs decided they needed a change of pace from their restaurant life in Sydney, which attracted the likes of Kylie Minogue among other celebrities. They arrived on the palm-lined shores of Palm Cove where they immediately purchased the newly established Il Forno Pizzeria (it had been open for 4 months at the time) and they have never looked back.

They put their knowledge and love for Italian food, in this case mainly pizza, straight into creating a pizzeria that is still serving a very similar menu today. Antonella Barca spent her childhood years in her own family’s pizzeria in the heart of Rome, Italy and so it is this recipe, handed down from her father, that has made sure Il Forno produces the most authentic Roman Italian pizzas this side of the motherland. The family ran the pizzeria for many wonderful years before it was passed down to their adult children for some time to infuse their own passion for Italy and Pizza into the family legacy. Together, a new menu was created, inspired by names of their favourite Italian cities, which in turn reflect the ingredients of the particular pizzas. For example, the pizza Sardegna comprises of seafood, as is what is typical on the island; or take the Trastevere – the most popular pizza on the menu is named after one of Rome’s (or definitely the family’s) most loved neighbourhoods. With the ever-increasing availability of fresh produce, imported ingredients and local cheeses (made to perfection), it has become even easier to ensure the most Italian style pizzas can be offered right here in our little piece of distant paradise.

In recent years, Il Forno has been successfully run by Natalie McNabb – an extremely talented chef come entrepreneur who has worked in many well-known restaurants both in Melbourne and Palm Cove. Natalie trained alongside the family and therefore continues to create and deliver the same quality and standard of pizzas that Il Forno is known for while also injecting some of her own passion into the affair too. For example, the pizza Alba is named after the place in Italy where Natalie went truffle picking and you can sense her delight in every mouthful of this pizza!

So, you may ask, what makes a good pizza? The ingredients? The cheese? The amount of toppings you can get? Well… it’s actually all about the dough. Ever wondered why the Italians manage to eat pizza as a staple part of their diet yet it is such a cheat meal for us? It’s because of the way the dough is made. The more time the dough is given to rise, the lighter it becomes and therefore the easier to digest. At Il Forno, we use natural yeast (combined sourdough) and among other parts of a very delicate and meticulous process, the dough is left to rise for a minimum of 24 hours. Depending on many factors, in particular, the temperature and moisture in the air in which the dough is prepared, there are many varied steps in the process of crafting the dough. The salt needs to be mixed in at a specific time and speed, it needs to rise at a certain temperature, be weighed and rolled into balls at particular times in order to rest and rise again before being hand stretched and transformed into everyone’s favourite food – pizza!

Il Forno was established as a boutique, family-run pizzeria and today remains Palm Cove’s only authentic and original pizzeria specialising in real Italian-style pizzas using the freshest local and Italian ingredients. It is also the original place in Cairns to get a Nutella Pizza, unlike anything you’ve ever experienced – Italians have been enjoying this decadent dessert since the Ferrero company released the Nutella concept and it has since become a popular part of many dessert menus the world over.

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