Rosati

I have not posted in a very long time. If there is anyone out there who anticipates my posts, well, I would have to call you the biggest dumbass on the planet and then apologise for my language and also for not posting.

Not posting does not mean I have not been out hunting for food. On the contrary, I have never been so actively and enthusiastically hopping from one restaurant to another before.

Rosati.

This time, the hunt took me to Rosati, a rather large Italian restaurant somewhere on Flinders Lane. Actually, we went over to Mamasita first, but they only had an opening for dinner at 10:30 so we decided to go somewhere else first and Rosati just happened to look appealing at the time.

Somewhere around a week later, I went back again. Yes, it was that good.

Without further ado, allow me to proceed to the food.

Pork belly.

The pork belly looked interesting to me when it was served. The first thing that came to mind was, "where is the pork belly?" Apparently Rosati's version of pork belly is not the usual slab of roast with crispy skin; instead it was sliced into half-inch thick pieces and dressed with balsamic vinegar and almost completely covered in currants, pomegranate and pine nuts.

I would say I was completely surprised when I took a bite into a piece of the pork belly. Firstly, to tick off all the criteria for good pork belly. Crispy skin, tick; copious amounts of fat, tick; tender and juicy meat, tick; refreshing sourness, what?! The sourness is not from the pork going stale, but it was from the balsamic vinegar, currants and pomegranate which actually balances the fattiness of the pork belly really well. The crunchiness of the pine nuts, the currants and the pomegranate also adds texture to the otherwise monotonous softness of the layers of fat. Those elements make it an ease to continue munching on the pork belly, whereas the conventional pork belly gives eaters a headache after the initial excitement. In fact, the pork belly was so addictive that Kaili and I craved for it from time to time.

Unfortunately when we were back to appease our stomachs, the pork belly was nowhere near as good anymore. The pieces were too thinly sliced and just too dry such that the layer of fat lost all its appeal. I hope Rosati improves on their pork belly and their consistency as this dish is one of the most recommended dishes.

Calamari with baby cress and almond aioli.

Nothing really worth mentioning here. It is just a typical deep fried calamari resembling those found in most restaurants in Melbourne. The batter was not really flavourful and a bit too much of it was coated onto the calamari. The almond aioli was just so-so. In fact, I could not really decide whether the calamari was better with or without the aioli. It did not make such a significant difference to the taste. It is not a dish I would order again at Rosati.

Polpette or Sicilian meatballs.

I would have to say that I thought the meatballs were rather good, but to be fair, how bad can meatballs get?  Also, the meatballs are not just typical balls of minced meat, instead, the fat content in the meatballs lived up to my expectations and (if I am correct), there was also cheese in the mix, which gave the meatballs added flavour and complexity. 

The sauce, which seems like napolitana to me, was just about right. It was not intensely sour as to kill the taste of beef and was not too bland either. I do wish that it could be a bit thicker though.

Button mushroom with garlic cream and breadcrumbs.

To be honest I was really anticipating something amazing when I ordered this dish. Italians are after all the masters of mushroom. Again, this dish really disappointed me. The mushrooms were soggy due to the the garlic cream which was so dilute that I would not even call it a cream, and worst of all, it was rather tasteless. The breadcrumbs could not save the dish from being abysmal. It being in the dish is just like adding breadcrumbs into water. 

Gnocchi with lamb.

The gnocchi with lamb was a special for the day, which is not in the menu, during our second visit. As such, I do not know what was the cheese that was in the dish. I had another gnocchi dish the first time we were there. For both occasions, the gnocchi was almost perfect. It had a soft puffiness to it and a creamy texture inside. The gnocchi just disintegrates without much chewing yet offers a bit of bite before that. I also appreciate the fact that the lamb was cooked to perfection and was tender such that there was no strong contrast between the texture of the meat and the gnocchi.

The lamb and the gravy were adequately seasoned with a tangy, tomato-like flavour. The cheese scattered on the dish had an intense saltiness but when eaten with the lamb and gnocchi, it created a rich amalgam of taste and texture which I found quite hard to resist.

Done with the mains, it is time to move on to the desserts. 

Chocolate pudding, citrus and vanilla ice-cream.

Rosati is quite famous for their chocolate pudding and when you are out dining with women, it is rather hard not to go into desserts. However, the chocolate pudding did not live up to expectations. Although the core was molten and flowed out like a heavenly chocolate dream when we cut the cross section, the pudding itself did not taste as good as I pictured it to be. The pudding just tasted awfully floury and did not have a significant chocolate taste.

The citrus, on the other hand, tasted really like citrus and excessively so. It was so sour that all of us cringed after having it. Not something I would look forward to the next time I go to Rosati, if I ever still want to return.

The vanilla ice-cream was just decent, like any vanilla ice-cream one can find in Italian restaurants in Melboune. Nothing special there.

Layer cake with strawberry and raspberry sauce.

This dessert is a daily special, as such, I do not really know the exact name as the waitress read out the name at the speed of sound. Anyway, on to the review.

The first thing that came to mind with this dish, I mean cup, was the difficulty to eat it. When we drove the spoon down to the bottom, the cake escapes the spoon and all we got was thick strawberry and raspberry sauce, which was a sugar overload. That being said, the sauce was the real thing. It had loads of crushed berries in it and it hits that sweet spot in an instant when eaten. As we ate, the ratio of cake to sauce increased and the sweetness got to a saner level. 

For the sugar addicts and the insane, this dessert would certainly satisfy; for diabetics, it would send you straight up to heaven.

Chocolate mousse with orange sorbet.

Being a sucker for chocolate mousse, I might be a bit biased with this, but Kaili can vouch for me. We loved  this dessert to bits. The chocolate mousse had the right consistency and complexity. It was airy and smooth with a bit of bite and had a nutty flavour to it instead of just being purely cocoa and sugar. The sorbet did wonders to the dish as well. Balancing the thick, sweet mousse with a touch of ice cold, tangy orange made the dish surprisingly refreshing. 

I would recommend this to everyone who visits Rosati, but there is one slight problem, it is a daily special so it really depends on your luck whether you get to sample this wonder when you are there to dine.

All in all, Rosati is a decent restaurant. The first dinner at Rosati gave me a really good impression. The food was superb and the waiters and waitresses were really friendly. The second time round, some dishes were just plain weird and off-putting. Will we return to Rosati? Perhaps to satisfy that sporadic craving for the pork belly, otherwise, there are better places in town.

95, Flinders Lane,
Melbourne,
VIC 3000.

03 9654 7772

View Larger Map

Mercadante Woodfired Pizzeria

The quest for food continues. This time, we head all the way back to Lygon Street from Old Kingdom for some dessert and drinks. Destination? Mercadante.

Famous for chocolate pizza.

I used to live just next to Lygon Street and walked past Mercadante almost everyday on the way to the city. However, I do hear people talking about the awesome chocolate pizza but somehow I never stepped a foot in there, despite being a chocoholic.

Face-lifted wall.

Mercadante, like any restaurant on Lygon, is just full of burly Italian men eating ridiculous amounts of food. Nonetheless, Mercadante seems to have a less serious air and not reminiscent of some scene from The Godfather. I suppose that is thanks to the strongly lit interior and the nice pictures of Venice on the wall.

Heed this warning, do not go to Mercadante if you are prone to heart attacks. The guy behind the counter plays tricks on unsuspecting customers. Sometimes he tosses a fake spider onto a girl; sometimes he puts on a clown mask and breathes down your neck; sometimes he throws something which looks like a plate at you. Always be vigilant in Mercadante, or you would be scared dead.

Back to the topic, the chocolate pizza.

It was not what I expected.

Pardon me, but when somebody mentions chocolate pizza, I picture a round, thin crust with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and strawberry toppings, not a sliced up dough stick covered with Nutella.

People are going to hate me for this, but the chocolate pizza was just so-so. The pizza was rather tough, and when you chew something resilient drenched in Nutella, it just drips down your lips. Maybe I am the only one who does not like that sensation. Personally, I think they could have done it better with a thin, puffy crust. 

123, Lygon St, 

Carlton, 3053 VIC,

Australia.

View Larger Map

Happy Birthday, Jinny! (D.O.C. Pizza and Mozarella Bar)

The birthday girl, or should I say 20 year old woman.

It was Jinny's birthday last Friday. After handing in my Organisational Behaviour essay, having a good time mixed with alcohol is the least of my needs.

We did not know where the celebration was going to be at until the day itself. This was not some kind of mystery party, just that we ran out of ideas on places to dine. Two days before, Jinny suggested Oriental Spoon and not one second after "spoon" was uttered I vetoed the decision. After much thought, the venue was decided, D.O.C. Pizza and Mozarella Bar.

The place to be for authentic pizzas.

D.O.C. stands for Denominazione D'origin Controllata, which means something in Italian. Although the meaning of the name totally escapes me, the food definitely speaks my language. Who would have thought that a little corner shop in Carlton could serve such amazing pizza?

Table for ten for Jenny?
Random picture of plates, wine glasses and cutlery.

D.O.C. claims that their produce and their waiters are air freighted. I doubted for a moment until our waiter for the night started introducing the items in the menu with an unmistakably thick Italian accent.

Made in Italy.
Jeremy's puzzled face after listening to the recommendations.
Lost.

After a good ten minutes struggling with the menu, we finally chose five pizzas.

The special.

First up was a pizza that was not even on the menu. All I know is that it has fresh figs, prosciutto and buffalo mozarella, which happens to be the highest grade of mozarella. One bite into this pizza is a marvelous explosion of flavours. The saltiness of the tender prosciutto, the spiciness of the fresh figs and the sweetness of the buffalo amalgamated into a heavenly dish.

Pizza Salsiccia and Pizza Cornuto.

Next it was Pizza Salsiccia which consists of Leo's sausage, sounds dirty but tastes good, crema di broccoli and mozarella. I am not a fan of broccoli but broccoli creme is addictive. From now on I will beat broccoli into a pulp prior to consumption. The creme was savoury but not too heavy on the palette. Coupled with the soft mozarella and the tender sausage, it is just perfect.

Together with Pizza Salsiccia was Pizza Cornuto. Cornuto, meaning a guy who got cheated on by his partner, is apt to describe the spiciness of the spicy salami and the chilli. People who love extremely spicy food might find this pizza too mild, but to me, the spiciness is just right such that it does not kill the meaty flavours in the salami. The spiciness is also a good contrast to the taste of the other dishes.

Pizza D.O.C. in the foreground.

Next was the dish named after the restaurant. Something like a margherita except with buffalo mozarella. A simple, light dish made of San Marzano tomato, D.O.P. buffalo mozarella and fresh basil. However, simple and light is not necessarily a bad thing. The tangy tomato paste and the sweet mozarella really helps working up an appetite. For meat lovers, this is a fresh experience; for vegetarians, this is a must-eat.

Another pizza that we ordered was the Pizza ai Porcini, which I did not take any photos of. I guess that gives me a reason to pay D.O.C. another visit.

Birthday girl serving the guests.
Digging in.

Drinking up.
Playing with phone!?
Untouched food!?!? Definitely a sin in D.O.C.

After the main course, there was a cake from Brunetti, the famous cake shop.

Excellent packaging.
Out in one blow.
Happy birthday!
I wish I knew the name of this cake.

Then it was time for group photos to commemorate the occasion.

Serious.
Candid.
Serious.
Almost serious.
Dead serious.

After dessert we left the place with heavy hearts and heavier stomachs but most of us will be there again sometime soon.

Someone else's pizza.
Drunk birthday girl.

We spent the night playing pictionary and poker and had a wonderful time.

Once again, happy 20th birthday, Jinny. 20th.