BlueBoy
24-12-2005, 08:27 PM
Though it’s only been open for 9 weeks, this restaurant is already proving that fine dining in Melbourne need not be hideously expensive.
It was a humid Friday night when my dining partner and I wandered down the lane that houses The Italian. We were quickly shown to our table and each handed the night’s menu, handily printed on a single A3 sheet of paper. A cork-bound wine list was also supplied.
I ordered the meat special of the day: a piece of lamb that had been cooked to medium-rare in a red wine jus and served with wilted silverbeet and mashed potato.
My fellow diner ordered a whole baby chicken, de-boned and barbequed in a chicken jus, served with quartered rosemary potatoes. Both were $25.
Though I ended up ordering a Jim Beam and Coke I’ll just put down a few words about the wine list. The wine prices were as varied as the regions that came from. The list started at locally sourced bottles of wine that went for $30 and ended at $300 bottles of red that had been imported from Tuscany. Like any restaurant in Melbourne theres a huge range, but very few ‘by the glass’ options, which isn’t great when it’s just you drinking.
It took a long time for the actual meals to arrive, considering that we were sitting on one of 3 occupied tables. During this time glasses were cheerfully topped up with water and additional serves of bread were dolled out, so I can’t fault the waitstaff. Once the meals were served up however, the delay was forgotten. The lamb came out soaked in the red wine jus and nestled beside the silverbeet and mash. The mash was easily the best mashed potato I’ve ever had. It had the consistency and colouring of polenta, with a slight taste of lemon.
There are no words to describe the chicken apart from those uttered after I tasted a small portion: “Holy Crap.”
Once we’d finished off the main course we ordered a serving of chocolate mousse to share ($15). What came out were two scoops of mousse separated by a thin toffee wafer. On one side was a lemon mousse, the other was a coffee mousse. Not quite what we’d ordered, but fantastic none the less.
For those looking for a place to take a first date I recommend The Italian. Just asking for the wine list and flipping through the tome is guaranteed to win you points. Everyone else should visit this place at least once, just to say “I dined at an Italian restaurant in Melbourne and I didn’t have to mortgage the house.”
The Italian
2 Malthouse Lane
Melbourne, Vic
http://www.theitalian.com.au/
It was a humid Friday night when my dining partner and I wandered down the lane that houses The Italian. We were quickly shown to our table and each handed the night’s menu, handily printed on a single A3 sheet of paper. A cork-bound wine list was also supplied.
I ordered the meat special of the day: a piece of lamb that had been cooked to medium-rare in a red wine jus and served with wilted silverbeet and mashed potato.
My fellow diner ordered a whole baby chicken, de-boned and barbequed in a chicken jus, served with quartered rosemary potatoes. Both were $25.
Though I ended up ordering a Jim Beam and Coke I’ll just put down a few words about the wine list. The wine prices were as varied as the regions that came from. The list started at locally sourced bottles of wine that went for $30 and ended at $300 bottles of red that had been imported from Tuscany. Like any restaurant in Melbourne theres a huge range, but very few ‘by the glass’ options, which isn’t great when it’s just you drinking.
It took a long time for the actual meals to arrive, considering that we were sitting on one of 3 occupied tables. During this time glasses were cheerfully topped up with water and additional serves of bread were dolled out, so I can’t fault the waitstaff. Once the meals were served up however, the delay was forgotten. The lamb came out soaked in the red wine jus and nestled beside the silverbeet and mash. The mash was easily the best mashed potato I’ve ever had. It had the consistency and colouring of polenta, with a slight taste of lemon.
There are no words to describe the chicken apart from those uttered after I tasted a small portion: “Holy Crap.”
Once we’d finished off the main course we ordered a serving of chocolate mousse to share ($15). What came out were two scoops of mousse separated by a thin toffee wafer. On one side was a lemon mousse, the other was a coffee mousse. Not quite what we’d ordered, but fantastic none the less.
For those looking for a place to take a first date I recommend The Italian. Just asking for the wine list and flipping through the tome is guaranteed to win you points. Everyone else should visit this place at least once, just to say “I dined at an Italian restaurant in Melbourne and I didn’t have to mortgage the house.”
The Italian
2 Malthouse Lane
Melbourne, Vic
http://www.theitalian.com.au/