With the cost of living being a regular struggle, these days Dr L and I often like to dine out using either Eat Club or First Table to make sure our dollar stretches as far as it can go. Without a discount, date night can easily get to $200 and we are firm believers in spending within our means. This week we opted to dine at Olli Italiano which conveniently had a last table deal going on first table, ensuring that we didn't need to rush off after work.
There were a handful of tables inside but quite a few more tables outside the restaurant. It was fairly chilly that evening so we made sure we stayed indoors. Although it was very busy that evening, staff were very warm and friendly.
The menu was as you would expect of an Italian restaurant, there was an assortment of pizzas, pastas, entrees and sides as well as desserts.
Starting off with drinks we had the blood orange spritz and the limoncello. Both were sweet, crisp and refreshing. I would definitely have enjoyed this more on a hot summers day but despite the cold, I still wanted it.
Our starters came quickly. We had a serve of meatballs and burrata to share. Again the burrata was served cold and probably not the best thing for a cold winters' night but it was nevertheless creamy and the tomatoes were tart and sweet. The meatballs were generously sized with a delicious tomato and basil sugo and parmesan crisp.
As usual, we ordered one pizza and one pasta, one red and one white to share. Our pizza was the tartufo. For a white pizza, it was served conspicuously green with quite a lot of rocket on top. Under the rocket was roasted mushrooms, truffle paste and parmesan. Flavours were intense and I also found the crust to be fluffy with quite an enjoyable charring. It wasn't as light as what you would get at Julius, but it was delightful nonetheless.
Wanting a contrast, our pasta was the beef cheek ragu tagliatelle. Although it looked like it didn't have too much meat in the photo, there was actually quite a bit hiding under the sauce and the pasta. The pasta was served softer than al dente, which is just as we liked. The meat was tender and almost melted into the sauce. Portions were also very generous for the two of us to share.
At this point we were stuffed but I was determined to enjoy dessert. Dr L had the panna cotta and I had the tiramisu. Dr L's dessert was fairly mainstream, smooth and light with a strong vanilla hit. My tiramisu was absolutely huge. I'm not sure if it contained ladyfinger as the filling tasted more akin to a sponge cake. There was ample espresso taste to the sponge and the mascarpone was rich without being overly decadent, rounding off a very enjoyable date night for us.
We had a fantastic time at Olli Italiano, staff were warm and friendly, the food was wholesome and enjoyable. I would not hesitate to return to try more of their food.
Price Range: $40 - $50pp (with the first table discount)
Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 6.5/10
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