Now I know how ignorant I was thanks to the apertivo that Mauro Marcucci sent us out at Bond Street Cafe and Wine Bar. Served in a champagne flute Aperol, prosecco, a slice of orange and a skewered olive, it was the delicacy and balance of the drink that impressed me. I know better how to treat this sibling of the bitter and medicinal Campari. Delicately.
Many of you will already know Mauro from his days, many years ago at Cafe e Cuccina. And then from Pizza e Birra et al in Sydney. I’m still trying to forgive him from turning the great value Italian that was Termini into Pizza e Birra, although I do enjoy the pizzas there when I’m being unfaithful to my local, the Mr Wolf bar. And perhaps I could forgive him if Bond St wasn’t 40 minutes walk away from my St Kilda cave in South Yarra.
The clientelle is a mix and the corridor of a restaurant is packed.
The Frank Report appears to be a fan. As are the whole South Yarra set from the young rich and funky to the full helmet of hair.
And it is no surprise because it is exceptional value rarely seen nowadays with Inizi (small plates to nibble on) from $3.50 for a single slice of grilled eggplant up to $11.50 covering othe spread of olives ($6.50) potato and salt cod fritters ($11) and octopus and pickled vegetable salad at the top end of the scale.
There’s a great looking bar of cured meats, Coninui (mains) from $22 for a bug risotto, a gnocchi with veal ragu up to $26 for a porterhouse with roasted shallots in a red wine sauce and the market price for fish.
We had somewhere under 90 minutes for our meal having bought tickets for Milk at The Como ( great film although it dragged in places) with the added disadvantage of she who will be now know as the twidow (twitter widow) being on stacked heels. This meant you could walk uphill but required careful manhandling down slopes and stairs.
And it is here that I invoke the blog amnesty fortnight initiated by Jack, extended by Claire and also joined by Sarah.
I’ve left it so long to blog this attractive joint that even Bob Hart has beaten me to it. And having eaten the specials I can’t remember exactly what they were. The twidow and I shared the starter special, a radicchio salad with poached egg on top (I think) and some shaved parmisan. She had the special fish on a bed of Quinoa; I had a pasta special.
The service and food is everything you’d expect from a classy Italian restaurant and bar. And, as I said, it offers rare value which means I’ll be making that 40 minute detour again soon.
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Oh, so that’s what you do with prosecco. Still amazed you aren’t completely won over to Campari after its peculiarly prominent place in a provocative Lady GaGa video…?
ooh! You’re using *twidow*!
Although somebody started using it four days before us.
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