Popolo Italian Kitchen and Bar, River Quay, SOUTH BANK QLD 4101

DolceBunnie 7/19/2012 Add Comment Edit

Ever since our encounter with that cute suckling piggie in Bangkok, we’ve been infatuated with the crunchy texture of pork crackling and juicy soft pork meat. It caught our attention when we read the menu at Popolo, a casual Italian dining restaurant located in Southbank which is surprisingly operated by the same owner of the Vietnamese-French eatery, Libertine (which I love) that suckling Pig was on offer. So, it was inevitable that we must try this place out.

We ventured out to Southbank despite the rain as we were determined to get some porkie into our bellies. We were taken to the only booth table in the restaurant by our lovely waitress, who informed us that she was Italian and that if we had any questions, she’d be happy to answer.

The view of the Brisbane River from the restaurant was amazing. I couldn’t help myself gazing at the beautiful sight in front of me with the city as a backdrop, the lights reflecting into the water and the rain blurring my view to give the whole panorama a soft focus.

We took very little time looking at the menu and ordered the following:

Pane - fresh ciabatta with Popolo blend olive oil ($6.00) (which by the way in imported from a famous bread making town in Italy)

Arancini - tomato and tallegio risotto balls ($15.00)

Sfogliata con funghi e capperi - bocconcini sheet filled with mushrooms, red reduction, fried capers ($12.00)

Lattonzolo e pesche - Kingaroy suckling pig (250g), spiced peach compote, anchovy sauce ($35.00); and

Asparagi e formaggio - grilled asparagus, parmesan ($10.00)

Unfortunately none of those dishes took my fancy. The couple of dishes that arrived before the suckling pig were really bland. Especially the cold bocconcini sheets with mushrooms.

The suckling pig was presented nicely on a wooden board. The pork was sliced into four pieces and topped with peach compote with anchovy sauce on the side. The pig was dripping with fat yet the meat was not as moist as I had hoped and the soft fat under the pig skin was very oily.

The menu items all sounded delicious so it was a shame that we didn’t end up with a great dining experience.

I absolutely love Libertine and I might just stick with it.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $78.00