Naples - Pizzeria da Michele

'You like pizza?' asked our taxi driver as he weaved between the harrowing roads of Naples, never for a moment breaking eye contact to glance at the road ahead, 'Si, it's why we are here' we answered. With that he screeched to a stop in the middle of the road, pointing down a nearby alley. 'Da Michele', he said, 'It is where you must go'. And so we did.

It turns out we had stumbled upon what is widely regarded as one of the best pizzerias in Naples, and the very same one that Julia Roberts eats at in Eat Pray Love. With a crowd of fast talking Italians and wide-eyed tourists outside jostling for a table, I had little doubt that we had found the right place.

As our number was called we were bustled into the restaurant, which seemed all the more authentic for its stark white walls, fluorescent lighting, and throw-away plastic cups. No menus, of course, so we ordered quattro margarita pizzas with extra mozarella, and quattro birra to match.

Of course the wait was excruciating. Just knowing you are about to eat what is possibly one of the best pizzas in the world is a concept that almost completely overwhelmed me.

And there it was; bubbling, gooey, charred, crispy, and traditionally soupy and soggy in the middle. This, this exact moment of pure happiness and gluttony, is why I went traveling.

It's so far off any other pizza I had ever had before. The dough, more like a naan than anything, was so soft there wasn't a chance of eating it in hand like a normal slice, so we hacked at it with our cutlery, using our hands to roll it up and clean the messy juices as we went.

The toppings were simple; a strong sweet tomato sauce, chewy bubbling mozarella and a small sprig of basil in the middle.

To quote Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat Pray Love, who describes it much more aptly than I ever could: "I love my pizza so much, in fact, that I have come to believe in my delirium that my pizza might actually love me, in return. I am having a relationship with this pizza, almost an affair."

Sitting here writing this, now with a few more Neapolitan pizzas in my stomach, I can barely remember what a 'normal' pizza tastes like, but why would I want to? The days of stiff crusts and dry toppings are behind me (well, at least as long as I stay in Naples).

Luke's Kitchen

Nestled away in a small town on the Coromandel Peninsula is one of my absolute favourite restaurants. It may not have tablecloths and silverware (in fact I think they would laugh at the idea), but it never fails to disappoint me.  With tables made from surfboards, and bench seats made of drift wood, Luke's Kitchen embodies everything good about a New Zealand summer.

Luke's Kitchen started out as a small pizza shack by the beach and has turned into a heaving Coromandel hotspot packed full of hungry, sunburned beach goers. Pizza is still the crown glory of Luke's- and an enormous wood fired oven stands proudly in the middle of the restaurant where a team of surfer boys are rolling the dough and cooking to order.

On this balmy summer night, Mum and I made our way to Kuaotunu to visit Luke's Kitchen. We started off with kumara fries- the best I have ever had (and I've had a LOT), washed down with some Corona beer in the spirit of summer.

The pizza menu has a focus on NZ and seafood ingredients, atop a thin and crispy base. I'm a huge fan of greasy pizza (mmm Sal's), but Luke's Kitchen pizza is incredibly light and fresh, and all the more tasty.

We chose the Pacific Chix (coconut chicken, courgette, onion, preserved lime and coriander) and the very similar looking Never Fail (fresh fish, mushroom, courgette, onion, garlic aioli). Both were amazing, but the Pacific Chix was a winner for me, and is my go-to order whenever I am there.

LK is everything a beach restaurant should be, and is a true celebration of summer food. If you ever find yourself in the East Coast of the Coromandel, make your way to Kuaotunu, and pop into Luke's for a pizza before we run out of these glorious long summer nights.