First, We Eat

Records for future me.

[first-we-eat]

Fromage the cow

We’d been interested in Fromage the cow for quite awhile both because the name was cute and who doesn’t love an overload of cheese? My only hesitation was that it was going to be a restaurant that served cheese and only cheese. Given our disappointing fondue experiences from Switzerland I had to say I was all cheesed out. However, one glance at the menu will prove they do indeed serve other foodstuffs.

We went as a foursome for dinner a few weekends ago and overall left with a neutral impression and very full stomachs. Not enticing enough to return though.

FOOD (their winter menu)... 3/5

To start

- Antipasto for 4. $39. So epic I had to pull out my rickety iPhone 5 and attempt a photo in these horrendous lighting conditions. 

To share

- Seared tuna loin. $16. Good, not mind blowing.

- Gnocchi large. $27. Great. Pillowy, soft, gorgeous.

- Confit duck for two. $68. Dry, underwhelming.

- Tartiflette. Included in duck. Small, would not be able to justify $10 as side to order on its own. Flavour of taleggio was there. Textural failure.

- Salt baked beetroot. $10. Better than the gratin. Texturally for baked beetroot again fell short.

- Truffe + Parmesan fries. $10. Excellent. Noone can screw this combo up for imo.

ATMOSPHERE 3.5/5

Very quaint little shop. I’d imagine in daylight the decor would be more light and appealing. At night they have this strange purple light that reminds me of the public toilet lights in Melbourne. The ones they put on to prevent people shooting up? Quite nauseating. It was either that or the cheese overload that made us very sleepy towards the end of the dinner.

SERVICE 4/5

Service was standard. Nothing outstanding but noone was rude either.

The most epic of cheeseboards. Which is only to be expected from a place with fromage in the name

[first-we-eat]

Osteria Epoca

We’ve wanted to try Epoca for a long time now considering how good Algeria was. It was a spur of the moment “we don’t feel like cooking but are so famished” decision.

Our eyes were unabashedly bigger than our stomachs and we admittedly over ordered for the two of us. It was either that or their very generous Aperol Spritz that had me feeling halfway ill on the way back to my car. But if you're not a pig and order with your eyes open every individual item was delicious. 

FOOD... 4.5/5 

To Start:

- Salumi board. Great selection. Cacciatore is always a favourite.

- Bacala Mantecatto. $18. My goodness. This stuff is beyond words. I could eat this by the spoonful for all 3 of my meals and be extremely happy. Huge serve as well. Please don’t share between 2 and expect to finish the thing and still have room for mains. 

Mains (Primi):

- Gnocchi. $19. Exactly as gnocchi should be. Pillowy pockets of palatal pleasure. Very buttery - be warned.

- Orecchiette. $19. Gorgeous combination of flavours and textures with the sprinkling of parmesan breadcrumbs. Whilst delicious and something I’d definitely eat again. One should also be warned that it is piled full of olive oil. Good for the lips. Bad for the hips.

Note: The pastas were very generous with the olive oil. But in a perfectly balanced way. If I hadn’t eaten my body weight in Bacala I would’ve devoured this and ignored the consequences later.

Drinks:

- Aperol Spritz. $12. Made exactly the way a spritz should be. 

ATMOSPHERE: 5/5

It’s a raucous little corner store that brought us back to our best memories of Italy. Bright, boistrous and should be good for all social occasions where you want to actually see and converse with your dining partners.

SERVICE: 5/5

There can’t be too much said of the excellence of the staff. From the bar, the floor manager, Lorenzo. It’s like everyone’s trained in Italian hospitability.

[first-we-eat]

Pizza in Napoli

Our lax attitude towards photography plus the death of my Note 4 means we actually have very few photos of our Italian food journey. Although another major contributing factor is generally we made some poor touristy food choices on a day by day basis.

Naples was the exception. Even before arriving we knew we had to try Michele’s. this was because our cooking class tutors in Bologna swore up and down that was the best pizza in Italy.

Michele just borders the historic centre in Naples where everyday cars are banned. As we walked up from our accomodation within the historic centre we could already see a throng of people outside the front door. We collected a ticket and my primitive Italian was enough to help us count down our short wait. As we entered it became clear why the wait was so short. You pretty much choose any free seat sharing tables with other diners if necessary.

There are only 2 items and their variants on the menu: Margarita or Marinara. The classic Italian way. Someone was disappointed marinara doesn’t mean seafood marinara mix and was instead a garlic and herb oil on a tomato base. Regardless, they both were excellent choices.

Our next pizza selection was actually an accidental stumble. We’d walked by the night before on the way to Tandem Ragu (probably our best meal of our trip, unfeatured here simply because of lack of photos). We walked by what appeared to be an engagement party that had spilled out on the street. However it was still there on our way back from dinner. That’s when we realised the hoard (Italians don’t seem to be much for lines) was all waiting for a table within the establishment called Sorbillo’s.

So we arrived early for dinner that night about 15min before their advertised start time because we didn’t want to be caught in the waiting crowd and we were actually one of the last ones who managed to get a table. They must start seating 30min before their advertised start time. This was also a pizza experience to remember. Although not as rustic or simple or cheap or quick as Michele’s, the combination of flavours were in my mind undeniably Italian. The Italy that I knew.