Estivo

Not having used our Entertainment book for awhile, we wanted to make the most of it before its soon expiry. I decided to choose a restaurant which was outside our usual vicinity of the CBD. Estivo, located on High Street Kew is named one of The Age's good food guide one hatted restaurant.

Upon our arrival, we were seated at the small bar while waiting for our table to be ready. The restaurant is small and intimidate, there is both an up and downstairs seating area with less than 10 tables on each floor. If a romantic date is what you are after, perhaps request a seat in the upstairs dining area.

The overall lighting was low but each table had a small tea candle, creating that perfectly romantic ambiance. The food at Estivo can be classified as modern Australian/ Italian. First serve was 2 pieces of complimentary sourdough with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip. It was a good start to dinner and kept our hungry stomachs from grumbling while waiting for the mains.

The menu

For entree, we ordered softshell crab with spicy guacamole and creme fraiche. I was surprised at the size of the dish when it came out- it was a lot more generous than expected and was good size for sharing between two. The flavours of the dish was delightful and well balanced. The texture of the crab was crunchy and not at all oily, the meat was also tenderly cooked. The smoothness of the guacamole surprising complimented the crab well.

Softshell crab with guacamole entree

For the mains, S ordered the baby snapper with steam clams in Harissa infused broth. He really enjoyed the dish, especially the broth- the hint of spiciness from the Harissa balanced out the lightness of the baby snapper. The skin of the snapper was also perfectly crisp.

S satisfied with his choice of main

Baby snapper with steam clams in Harissa broth

Apparently, Estivo's signature main is the roast marget of duck, onion and duck leg tart with spiced carrot puree- I decided to order this for my main. The dish did not disappoint at all, it is by far one of the better duck dishes I've tried. Even though the duck was cooked medium rare, it was tender and not chewy in texture. The sweetness of the caramelised onion and duck leg tart was also a highlight of the dish.

Signature roast duck with caramelised onion tart

Although we were pretty full after our mains, we were easily convinced by the dessert menu.

For dessert, S was predictable and ordered the chocolate fondant. Ever since he tried the chocolate fondant at The Maze, it has been the only dessert he orders these days.

The fondant was rich and oozes with dark chocolate, although, it would have been better if it was served with a scope of ice cream instead of cream. My dessert was tiramisu trifle with waffle and fig. The flavours of the tiramisu was nice and the liquor not too intense, I devoured it down pretty quickly. I did find that both the waffle pastry and fig was a bit bland, perhaps it had been overpowered by the flavours of the tiramisu.

Chocolate fondant

Tiramisu with waffle and fig

Service was good and attentive, the waiter checked on us during each course to see if we were enjoying our meals.

The overall bill for the night was just under $150 (for 1 entree, 2 mains, 2 desserts and a glass of wine). Having the Entertainment book card helped as the card offers a complimentary main. Entrees are around $15-20, mains $35-$38 and dessert $13-$18

It was a lovely night out, Estivo by far exceeded both our expectations. Would definitely recommend this restaurant and we look forward to coming back!

Estivo
330 High Street
Kew VIC 3101

Yum: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Price: 6/10



Scribble you later
Miss Scribble

Hidden Italian Gem

A few friends have been madly raving to me about an Italian restaurant hidden in the heart of Melbourne CBD.

I have always struggled to find good authentic Italian cuisine in Melbourne's CBD without paying a visit to little Italy on Lgyon St.

Manchester Lane

Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana is secretly tucked away in Manchester Lane (located just off Colins and Swanston Street. Without word of mouth, I assure that you would not be able to spot this place.
The feeling of homely goodness immediately fills us as we step into the restaurant. The Interior is small and can be a bit of a squeeze, it literally only fit around 15 or so people (so not recommended for larger groups). The tables are set up along one wall, all adorned with cute red checked table cloths- adding to the authentic Italian feel.

Cosy interior

We have made 2 visits to Maccaroni now- we immediately fell in love with it after being introduced the first time, and just had to come back for more. On each of our visits, we happened to be seated in front of the open kitchen- witnessing the homemade food preparation in action.

Made right before your eyes

The menu is simple yet has plenty of options to tickle your fancy, with a number of starters, home made pastas and mains. One of the recommended dishes was the penne pasta with black olives, tomatoes and fresh chili. Mr S order that and I ordered the gnocchi sorrentino. We also decided to order the hot Sicilian 'Panelle' which is fried chickpea fritters as a starter

Adorable checked table cloths

The service is excellent, waiters are friendly and judging by their accents, all are authentically Italians. The portions of the panelle was generous and can easily be for 4 people. The batter was light and not overly oily, however I did find it a little over seasoned. We struggled to finish the dish as it is probably not one which you could have too much of.

Starter- Sicilian Panelle

Mr S was impressed with the penne- the pasta was fresh and cooked al dente, flavors simple yet delicious. The blend of both the chili and olives brought just the right punch of flavours to the pasta. In my opinions, the only thing missing from the dish was the lack of meat. In saying that, it's not often that Mr S says "let's come back here", so this place definitely won him over.

Spicy penne

The napolitana sauce on my gnocchi was rich but not over powering. I loved the stringiness of the melted mozzarella (mmm, love melted cheese!). The size of the gnocchi are a little bit smaller than your average, similar to the size of pearls in bubble tea. However, the taste is chewy, fluffy and flavoursome. Again, the only criticism I had of the dish was its lack of meat.

Gnocchi Sorrentino

The second time we visited, we had to try one of the popular main dishes- the Osso Bucco with risotto. I loved this dish, the meat was cooked to perfection and literally fell off the bone. The risotto was also perfectly cooked and has a creamy consistency. Definitely recommend this one!

Osso Bucco- delicious!

Although the food may not be helping your waistline but it definitely would not hurt your wallet. Pastas range from $11-1$4 and mains are reasonably priced between $15-$20.

I have also heard their tiramisu dessert is to die for, we will be saving our stomachs next time..

Dessert on display

Not often do I come a cross a gem this good and want to share it :)

Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana

Yum: 8/10
Price: 8/10
Service: 8/10



Ciao!
Miss Scribble