Balzari

Before heading for a friends birthday on Brunswick Street, i decided to complete my 10th Restaurant on my list with a trip to Balzari.  A nondescript outside on Lygon opened up into a warm and romantic space with an open kitchen. It felt like the decor was more suited for a romantic dinner after the sun has set with low intimate lighting and a rich decor.

An extremely enthusiastic and friendly server greeted me to my seat. Starting with an extensive wine list, i choose one of the reasonably priced wines by the glass. Along with the wine, i was given a whole basket of sesame bread with some amazing oil.

I decide to go the whole experience and go for all three courses. Starting with some pasta for entree, i choose the beautifully al dente Tagliolini with some flaky spanner crab that fell apart when touched with the fork. Mixed with an understated sauce of garlic, tomato, olive oil and chili, it was beautifully cooked and full of flavour apart from the chili was almost non existent and was a bit of a disappointment.

This was followed by a main course of a rack of Berkshire pork. Beautifully cooked and deliciously fatty, it was combined with a mango puree and little cubes of mango. On a bed of orzo pasta, it was a great combo of flavours, textures and the cold cubes of mango combining with the hot pork, pasta and lukewarm puree it was a beautifully constructed dish that looked beautiful and tasted magnificent.

The next course was desert and despite the limited selected, i found a desert i would love. A dark chocolate semi freddo with a chocolate soil and almond milk and honeycomb. Amazingly presented with the different components distinct yet interwoven within the dish. Initially it had a beautiful flavour but the aftertaste left a bitter aftertaste. A disappointed ending to an otherwise good meal.

A great meal with some slight minor misses stopping it reaching a level of some of the other restaurants previously visited. Still well ahead of Giuseppe Arnaldo's but probably near the bottom of the restaurants so far.