Cicciolina

23rd October 2011

On a very sunny and busy day in St. Kilda i headed out for lunch with an old friend to Cicciolina and to complete number 48 on my list (An even dozen to go now). With a no bookings policy i turned up at 1pm and was told there would be a 15 minute wait for a table and was asked to leave a name and return then.

After having a walk around Acland Street, we came back 15 minutes later. After entering a room with very rushed and frantic service, close tables, noisy and old school interior we were given our bread and menus. The overall service was very quick and efficient but kind of sloppy and rushed. Despite it being a Modern European restaurant the first course i choose was a very modern take on a Asian course, Chili fish cakes with a pesto mayo and slices of lemon. Served as three small balls of fishy cakes with a hint of chili and a pesto mayo sitting on a bed of lettuce and the lemon added a freshness to the dish. Basic, simplistic presentation but quality flavours.

The main course was a lamb loin with a juniper crust. Perfectly cooked lamb with a nice crust edge and very pink centre. Combined with mash and spinach and shaved beans with a sherry and bone marrow jus. After the recent high end dining experiences, the presentation and type of food was fairly basic but the flavours were good and the food didn't pretend to be anything that it wasn't. Great wholesome food with quality flavours.

The desert i choose was a bit of a sloppy mess with peanut and popcorn toffee cluster embedded into a mix of salted caramel ice cream and a valrhona chocolate sauce. The desert looked anything but pleasant but tasted amazing. The contrast of slightly salted caramel and popcorn contrasted with sweet flavours of the toffee and chocolate sauce and the mix of soft and smooth flavours matched well with the crunchy toffee.

I finished off the meal with a chocolate, almond and orange truffle. Rich and dense, the dark chocolate was slightly flavoured with a hint of almond and orange flavour. Very intense dark chocolate flavour, the truffle was great.

Good flavours, simple dishes done well with rich, bold flavours. Some of the presentation  and service left a little to be desired but the food was great. The value was pretty good as well with three courses, a truffle and a glass of wine for less than $75.