Tuedsay 13th July 2010
It was voted by the majority, the Parade was our destination for dinner on a cold winters night.
Approaching the Italian restaurant your met by the floor to ceiling glass front, giving you an entire view of the interior before you entre.
On entry, I'm greeted by on open yet not overwhelming space with high ceilings. The counter/bar extends along the left wall, connecting to the kitchen stretching from left to right along the back, with seating covering the rest of the floor on the right. Together, the design and feel of the restaurant could have had more of cosier atmosphere (especially in winter).
Straight to the mains....
The Zuppa (chicken broth with chicken pieces and spinach) was well served as a large enough portion to satisfy. The tender shredded chicken pieces with spinach added delicious texture to the full flavoured broth. Maybe a bit too salty overall, but definitely enjoyable for a soup.
Ordered alongside this was the Verdura Arrosto (seasoned vegetables) and consisted of potato, zucchini pieces, carrot strips, and beans. All the vegetables were cooked and seasoned adequately. The beans crunchy, potato and zucchini soft, with enough oil to coat. A nice side dish cosy against a main.
Now to dessert! The Panna Cotta with poached pears and pear syrup was perfectly textured. Firm, creamy, and like silk when hitting the mouth. The smooth flavours of vanilla bean and cinnamon exposed when melting in the mouth. The Semi Freddo was an adventure for the mouth. Rough crunchy textures of hazelnut praline, filled in with firm and soft sections of honey and nougat cream left the taste buds crying for more. The Caramelised Bananas and Warm Caramel Sauce accompanying it made it even more special...Yum!
Though the waiters service, while attentive, could have been more personal, overall, this was a dining experience well worth the visit for the food. Especially the dessert ;)
Lara and I shared two mains; the Conchigloni Ripieni d’Anatra and Pollo Piccante. For those requiring interpretation….. a pasta dish and pizza. Conchigloni consisted of oven baked large pasta shells filled with confit duck meat, porcini mushrooms and prosciutto topped with a white wine cream sauce. The pizza was topped with marinated chicken, red onion, bacon, roasted capsicum and sour cream (for any Jewish diners, it must be noted both our mains were kosher).
ReplyDeleteThe pasta was well balanced, with an ideal amount of mushrooms and duck, the serve adequate for a main meal (8 medium sized pasta shells, around 3cm wide)- although it does leave you wanting perhaps something on the side. The dish was quite rich, however perhaps a little salty overall.
The pizza was quite simple for an Italian restaurant, although the flavours combined well, for an average meal.
To finish we all shared a cheese plate, and three desserts. Ill leave Daniels commentary for the dessert…. it says it all. The cheese plate was a refreshing change from some of the serves we have experienced at other locations. The cheese (an Italian blue, brie and cacao di fossa – similar to pecorino) was served with a fig salami, dried fruit and grissini lavosh. The quality of the cheese was fair, and definitely not something that could be purchased from the supermarket fridge.
KLAR
Gezz how can I simply top those two responses!!! My pizza was simple and tasty, definately not the most amazing thing I have tasted but I do have to say it was reasonably priced. My Sav Blanc hit the spot rather well and that cheese platter is still in my memory....I cannot get over the blue cheese and how it simply melted in my mouth!!! Now the race is on to find another restaurant that can make my cheese dreams come true!!!!! I promise to write a longer blog next time....See you all at our next dinner crew night!!!
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