Returning to restaurants from our recent trip to Melbourne, Caffe e Cucina was one that we visited on the recommendation of our friends. One of our friends is Italian and described this as one of the most authentic Italian restaurants that they've tried (not counting in Italy itself!). A pretty big call, so we knew we had to visit.
The restaurant is cosy and the décor has a warm, homely charm to it. Upon arrival, we were greeted by very friendly Italian waiters. According to its website, this restaurant was founded in 1988 - almost as old as we are!!
We got a bit greedy and shared 3 entrées between ourselves (again, justified by being on holidays). First up we ordered the Millefoglie di Melanzane which consists of eggplant layers with buffalo mozzarella, confit tomatoes and basil. The flavours and ingredients all sound very familiar (and very Italian!) and sure enough it did not disappoint. The buffalo mozzarella was fresh and not too overwhelming, the tomatoes were sweet and eggplant was not too oily (as can sometimes be the case). Perfect combo!
Next up, we had the Carpaccio di Manzo - beef carpaccio served with rocket, shaved parmesan and balsamic glaze. The beef was sliced a little too thin for our personal preference and seemed a little disproportionate in serving size to the amount of rocket we got. That said, that balsamic glaze was beautiful! Nice and sticky with the perfect balance of tartness and sweetness.
Finally we had the Calamari Sant'Andrea - it may just look like your typical fried calamari but these were delicious! The calamari was incredibly tender, and the batter only very thin and lightly fried. Very moreish.
Now onto the mains! C ordered the Pappardelle con Speck, Champignon e Olio Tartufato. For anyone who has read a few of our posts, you'll start to notice a bit of a pattern....C can't get away from anything bacon/speck/prosciutto related so of course he opted for this dish. The dish comprised of homemade pappadelle with speck, Champignon mushrooms and truffle oil. The pappadelle had a perfect al dente chewiness to it, the speck not too salty and the truffle oil....well truffle oil makes everything tastes better right?!
K opted for the Gnocchi di Zucca which is a homemade pumpkin gnocchi with parmesan cheese that has been aged for 24 months and a cream and balsamic reduction. We had been told by our friends that if there was gnocchi on the menu we must order it and seriously, it was incredible. It's the best gnocchi we've ever had, soft, fluffy, light and with a hint of pumpkin. The combination of cream and balsamic sounded a bit odd at first but the tartness and sweetness of the balsamic actually lightens up the creaminess and you can't help but dipping the gnocchi into more sauce with every bite. Even though C had speck and truffle oil, he had intense food envy.
We've never been to Italy before, so can't vouch for how this compares to Italian food there but this has definitely been one of the most delicious Italian meals we have had. The ingredients may all sound like familiar Italian combinations but the dishes were executed really well and were combined with a cosy atmosphere and friendly and attentive service.
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