The Spaghetti House Trattoria | 164 Grey Street, SOUTH BRISBANE QLD 4101
People often say to me, you eat out so much. Yes, I do and I have no shame in admitting it. I think of dining out as an experience, a pleasurable memory of which I can hoard and take out of my memory bank one day to savour. I mean, of course sometimes I go out and eat just to fill up an empty tummy, but more often than not it’s about the experience and what I can take from the experience at the end of a meal. When I encounter a good experience, I remember everything from the taste of the food and the decor of the restaurant, to the outfit that I was wearing. One of these experiences was at The Spaghetti House a little over two years ago when I tried some figs wrapped with prosciutto in cheese sauce.
Forget about West End, The Spaghetti House has a new address and it’s located in the trendy, happening dining precinct of South Brisbane. With the new address, comes an appropriate new look for the trattoria. Think warm timber, bright letter marquee lights, crisp white and blue colour scheme, beautiful white flowers and jars of basil and rosemary.
Tuesday night, the sky just got dark and the trattoria was a full house. Sitting at a table in the corner, the other travel bunnie and I shared the figs wrapped in prosciutto with gorgonzola fondue ($17.90). How could I not? That dish is a classic. In fact, it used to be a once off, special of the night sort of dish but it was so delicious, it made onto the menu permanently. It tasted exactly like how I remembered it. The sweetness of the soft figs contrasted against the saltiness of the slightly crispy prosciutto all whilst immersed in the creamy, strongly flavoured Gongonzola fondue. I wiped the rich cheese sauce with the very last bit of my bread and wondered if it was inappropriate to lick the plate in front of my baby son.
“Orecchiette alla Norcina, and Cannelloni con Granchio” said in a thick Italian accent, our waiter, smartly dressed in the uniform designed by local luxury tailor Mark Ferguson of Will Valor, presented our main meals. The dishes, of which the presentation will not leave you in awe, but not that it was meant to. Instead, these hearty, home-styled plates remind you of a smily, apron-wearing Nona who’s spent all afternoon making fresh pasta and cooking you her classic comfort food. The pasta tasted exactly as you would have hoped. Comforting and delicious. My baked sand crab, pomodoro & béchamel cannelloni ($26.90) was saucy and cheesy, it was a dish that kept on giving, and every mouthful was like a pleasant ride to the land of happiness. I thought that it was the perfect winter dish as it made my tummy warm and satisfied. The other travel bunnie also enjoyed his orecchiette with pork & fennel sausage, onion, tomato, wine & cream ($25.90) as he literally finished the dish in under 5 minutes.
We shared a panna cotta with berry coulis and biscuit crumb ($14.90) before we left. It was a nice touch to end our night, a dessert without too many layers of flavours and textures, much like the mains, rich yet humble. Did I mention that all was enjoyed in a room filled with tiramisu scented candles? I think The Spaghetti House Trattoria is such a wonderful place for any Italian food lovers, and with a fantastic price tag, why wouldn’t you be a regular?
*Disclaimer: the bunnies were invited guests of The Spaghetti House Trattoria, however my opinion is as always, my own.
