I know a few words in Italian, however, I'm not sure what 'Rococo' actually translates to in English. I can tell you though, that Rococo, the restaurant is a great place to go for a fantastic, cheap Italian dinner. Rococo is situated on busy Acland St, nestled amongst the glorious cake shops that the street is so famous for. Rococo, is quite a long room, which can fit quite a few people in there on a busy night, however it doesn't feel crowded even during a weekend rush hour.On Saturday night we arrived at Rococo without a booking, so when we entered, the waitress explained to us that they had a table for the 2 of us, but as they were quite busy, we would have to be prepared to wait for our meals once we ordered. Nobody likes to wait, but at least we were warned before we were seated, which I think Rococo should be praised for. The waitress seated us right near the big open fire, which was perfect on such a cool, rainy Autumn night.
For starters we ordered a couple of plates to share. Deep Fried Calamari, with Green Salad and Home Made Aioli was first. The Calamari was so tender and crunchy and a pleasure to eat. None of this chewy, fish n chip shop Squid Rings.
The second starter we ordered was Bread, topped with Caramelised Onions with Marinated Olives. The Caramelised onions were so sweet and the bread so soft. It was similar to Turkish bread and quite possibly could have been. The olives were all different types, with all different shapes, colours and sizes. Eating these olives were like eating savoury fruit salad, so many flavours! Oh... I forgot to mention, there was hardly any wait for our starters and by the time we had finished them, our Mains were pretty much already on their way! If anything, they were served too quickly. So much for having to wait.
The delicious food continued through to our Main Courses. I ordered the Slow cooked Veal Osso Bucco, which was flaked into a tomato sauce as a ragu and mixed into some authentic Papardelle. The serving was huge and there was no way I was going to be able to finish it after our great starters. The veal was so soft and the tomato sauce cooked slowly, so that it had become sweet. The dish was finished off with some basil pieces and some shaved Parmesan.
My dinner date ordered the Gnocchi, which was topped with Mozzarella, Basil and Tomato Sauce. The dish looked amazing. The Gnocchi was soft and fluffy, while again, the Tomato sauce was rich and sweet. A basic Italian dish, done pretty much to perfection.
The great part about Rococo, is not only the food and the great service, but the price. We left, rolling out the door and our total bill for dinner and drinks was $65. Usually at most places you get what you pay for, but at Rococo, you get more! The service is a standout also. The staff are always there to make sure everything is OK, that you're happy with your meals and that you're glasses are always topped up. Rococo may not quite be a fine dining restaurant as such, but if you're after a classy night out with friends or even an intimate meal with a loved one, Rococo would be perfect. The heart warming Italian food, is basic, but done amazingly well and perfectly suited to a cold Melbourne night. Belissimo!
8.5/10
Roma in St Kilda
Roma in St Kilda
10 comments:
This place sounds like a real find! thanks for sharing :)
It definitely sounds great, must give it a try.
Hey Thanh and Truffle,
Yeh, it really is worth visiting! I went back for lunch on the weekend and we got a couple of pizzas. They do the traditional thin crust pizzas there and they are outstanding. Great toppings, my only minor nitpick would be that parts of the base were a little soggy - but that happens on seafood pizza.
Thanks for alerting me to this place adski! I don't eat Italian out much (got a nonna who makes the real thing, so am almost always disappointed elsewhere - though Woodstock was a recent notable exception), but the photos and the description really make me want to go there this weekend... Keep up the good work! :)
hey mute... i went to fifteen today and i seriously think that the food at Rococo was just as good, if not better than Fifteen- and a fraction of the price too!
Hey adski, can't seem to comment on your Fifteen post. Those pappardelle look damn fine - do you know how long that lunch special is running for? Must visit it and write it up on my new blog :)
hey mute... thanks for letting me know! I thought people had stopped dropping by. I have enabled the comments on those posts. Not sure how long the deal is on for, but give them a call, I bet they have plenty of availability! I think more restaurants should jump on the lunch special bandwagon! Gingerboy...*wink* *wink*
Gingerboy lunch special? Oh HELLS yeah! I would be in like Flynn!! :) Actually, I did attend the $30 two course lunch special Gingerboy did during the Food & Wine festival... my friend and I went over $60 though because we just HAD to have those amazing seared asian greens they serve as a side dish. Have you had them? So simple... but sooo delicious!
Mute, haven't been to Gingerboy as yet. Everytime I've been tempted to go, I end up going to Ezard - the original, instead. I have the book though- Lotus, Asian Flavours. I've made quite a few things from that, which I'm sure were much cheaper than the real thing.
Don't bother, the service is appauling. Got ignored along with many other people waiting but the worst is yet to come. Food was OK, but made me ill. This is because I am lactose intolerant, and specifically asked for my meal to be parmesan free. They put Parmesan in it, took me a few mouthfuls to realise. Partner had gnocci, we swapped, ate this, could taste parmesan. Asked waiter re: dairy who asked in kitchen, came back & said - "Gnocci is made with Parmesan, it's just how it's made. You'll know for next time." For a start that is absolute crap you only put Gnocci in if you want to, secondly no apology, no discount off bill, crap service, arrogant and rude. would never go again.
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