End of the year means a series of birthday meals. This year the first one I had was at Eterna, the fairly new Italian Restaurant specialising in Roman fare in Fortitude Valley. Situated along Ann Street it was in the alleyway that used to house LongTime.
Made a group reservation and it was lucky that we were allocated a 2 hour dining slot because some of my friends had a hard time finding the restaurant, so it was a little while before we were all seated and could order. Service was patient and friendly the whole evening. With a focus on Roman cuisine, there was no pizza to be found on the menu which mainly consisted of pasta and mains.
Starting with drinks, this Dr L had the Faux Amaretto and I had a Watermelon Man. Both were quite sweet and refreshing, my cocktail didn't taste all that strong though, tasting a lot more like a mocktail. I did really enjoy the strong flavours of watermelon though.
Dr L had the Abbacchio Alla Scottadito, lamb chops in rosemary. These were cooked to a medium rare, were nicely charred on the outside and seasoned in a way that didn't overpower the natural taste of lamb. For the price of a main, I do think that it should have come served with a side of sorts though rather than having it as an optional extra.
Wanting to try out the pasta, I had the Gnocchi alla Vaccinara. With a hearty ox tail ragu, it was strong tasting and the tomato really shone throughout the dish. I did wish there was a bit more meat but it was still very filling. The gnocchi was slightly chewy and still soaked up the sauce quite well. Overall I found the food at Eterna to be fairly solid with room for improvement, but at that price point there are definitely better options out there.
Price Range: $35 - $50pp
Taste: 6/10
Value: 6/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment