Third time lucky as they say. Ms Fashionista was down here for a weekend and the Boy and I decided to take her out to try out the dinner and dessert menu at il Fornaio.
She must have been our lucky charm! We got a seating (we were early, 6pm - the person over the phone told us that it is super busy around 8pm --> they don't take bookings either)
We had an absoultely great night, with good food, fantastic dessert, great company and exceptional service! The last was indeed a pleasant surprise given our previous two visits here was a bit... err... how do I say... abrupt and interesting (let's just leave it at that) albeit the food was good.
We put in a few savoury orders to share, but our main purpose for the night was of course to try their dessert menu... my eyes scanned the menu and rested at the "Sweets" section and had an extremely hard time deciding what to order... Between the 3 of us, I decided we could do two appetizers, one main and 3 desserts (all to share of course)...
Whilst the terrine was fabulous and went really well with the crispy toasted bread, the Dijon mustard really didn't add much to the flavouring or the dish
This was delicious, but again it wasn't outstanding or special... and the toasted white bread that came with it was a bit err.. over buttery
For the mains, we tried the special of the day, which was a roast lamb dish with a bean salad (I can't remember the price, but I'm sure it was in the high 20's)
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| A snapshot of dinner |
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| Million Dollar Bullet $22 |
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| Snow White & Rose Red $18 |
Ms Fashionista commented that it reminded her of "Air Bandung" (which directly translated means Bandung Water --> as in the place in Indonesia)... Air (pronounced, ah-ye) Bandung is a rose syrup milk drink...
I didn't think about the similarities until she pointed it out.. I'd rather have this dessert tho :)
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| SNICKERS $19 |
The dessert that brought me back here not once, but 3 times!
The dessert that stumped the Masterchef contestants in the second season...
The dessert that has made it into the top 5 most memorable desserts in Victoria...
Is it worthy of all those accolades? Yes, and much much more...
I know quite a lot has been written about this.. but clearly I have to have my say in this as well... A mouthful of this dessert is equivalent to jam-packing a whole Snickers bar into your mouth...
The tempered chocolate snapped with a resounding "crack".
The salted peanut caramel... MmMmmm.... the salted peanut caramel... remembering it almost makes me want to drive over there right now and buy a few...
I asked the Boy (two weeks after this visit), if he would return and pay $19 for another Snickers.. and he immediately replied, "Of course!"... Apparently I was asking a redundant question...
Read more about other visits here:
Tea Time
Breakfast & Lunch
*Disclaimer: All food ratings are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality
Food/ Cuisine: Modern Australian
Dining Style: Cafe/ Restaurant
Overall Food Rating (Based on the Dining style): 8/10 (9/10 just for the desserts!!!!)
Restaurant ambiance: 8/10 (it was a lot quieter and less chaotic during dinner time)
Service/ Attitude: 8/10
Value for money: 8/10 (those desserts are hard to make!)
Address:
2 Acland Street
St Kilda, VIC 3182
Tel:(03)
Website: http://www.ilfornaio.net.au
Il Fornaio is open from
Monday - Friday 7am-11pm
Saturday & Sunday 8am - 11pm (closed from 5pm-6pm)
How to get there:
View Larger Map
The desserts definitely had me going gaga from their photos alone! (Also love the name of the snow white one:)
ReplyDeleteI want that Snickers dessert now!
ReplyDeleteLove this series of posts - third time lucky, for sure.
haha this is so epic, 3 posts one after the other (and not only that its 3 separate visits)... sheer dedication and determination!
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity the savoury foods aren't as spectacular, but one should keep in mind Philipa is a specialty pastry chef =).
Chanel: It is a definite must-try.. if you don't like it.. hey... you've tried it!
ReplyDeleteInjera: Wink wink.. #chotto
Almostalwaysravenous: It is a bit stalker-ish isn't it... but I had to!!
Yes.. must head back for snickers. that is all I want.
ReplyDeleteI'm such a sweet tooth - I get cranky when restaurants don't give me the dessert menu at the beginning, 'cause I always want to plan around dessert, like you have here! :) The Snickers dessert sounds AMAZING but I particularly was the licorice ice cream :)
ReplyDeleteOooh I really want to go here for the desserts now! I wish I lived closer -waaaah!
ReplyDeletePenny: If you like chocolate, I suggest the Million dollar bullet
ReplyDeleteHannah: The licorice ice-cream was what caught my attention when I put in the order
Lorraine: Yayy we have something you don't!
hehe well done on persisting with seeking out the snickers dessert :) I guess timing was a pretty crucial factor on this one! thanks for documenting all three trips- it was a good read.
ReplyDelete