Pinotta, Fitzroy North by Bureaucrat

Pinotta embodies what great Italian food is all about - delicious flavours, passion, convivial times and food to remember by and yearn for.  Our dinner at Pinotta in Fitzory North for Ms G's birthday was the best meal that I've had for 2015.  It's fine dining without the pomp but classy enough to know that you're experiencing in something special.  More than anything, the food... my god, the food was sublime.  It was the first time the 12 of us had dined at Pinotta and by the end of the night, Pinotta had 12 new fans.


We all opted for the three course dinner for $45, which was an absolute steal considering the quality of the food.  And as it was a celebratory dinner, we decided to add on a dozen or two oysters (and a few bottles of red) to kick off the night!  These gorgeous molluscs were sweet, briny and plump.




Given our numbers, the appetizers were presented as shared plates.  There were two appetizers to share.  (Apologies in advance for the photos - the romantic candlelit table and room, while it adds mood and drama, is an absolute killer when it comes to photography.)  First were these pots of fat, juicy green olives with marinated white anchovies.


Next were one of my (many) favourites of the night - the potato croquettes.  So golden, so crispy and so soft on the inside.


Then came three entrees, which were also presented as shared plates for us.  The first was this citrusy cured kingfish sashimi.  Super fresh and light.


This was a gorgeous light-as-air whipped cheese dip, served with potato chips.


The third entree was a lovely chunky country pork terrine served with warm grilled bread, mustard, cornichons and a dressed salad (another favourite of mine).


Then came a choice of three mains.  By this point, I was kinda full as I had stuffed myself silly with the first two courses, so I opted for the vegetarian option - mushroom ravioli.  This was gorgeous.  Fat pillows of ricotta and mushrooms, topped with more pan fried mushrooms and Parmesan.  I'd happily go vegetarian if I knew I could order this all the time.


Others went for the meatier options.  A rich braised lamb dish served with buttery soft polenta and gravy...


...and steak with celeriac remoulade.


We also had a bitter salad as a side but I'm not entirely sure whether this came with the meal (given our numbers) or whether we had ordered this separately.  Squeaky fresh leaves of radicchio, spinach and witlof.

While I was most definitely stuffed after this, a few brave souls decided to share some desserts, which included a yum-worthy tiramisu (sorry, no pics).

Verdict

We loved it.

Overall

LOVE Pinotta!  This has definitely made it onto my list of favourite restaurants.  You can also order a la carte, but given how much food they give you as part of the prix fixe menu you'd be crazy not to choose it. Then again, the a la carte menu has many dishes that are tempting me, including a rabbit dish and a clam dish... I can't wait to go to Pinotta again! Mangiare!

Find it at

Pinotta
32 Best St
Fitzroy North 3068
Telephone: 9481 3393