Caffe Roma

I can't believe it took me this long to visit Caffe Roma! The decor itself is dark but cosy and intimate. It’s perfect for date night, small groups, large groups, young people, old people.. basically it’s for everyone. And you’re probably wondering why the tables are covered in butchers paper? Grab the crayons and create some art while you wait for your food. Who said it’s just for kids?! The 'Parpadalle Ragu' was incredible. Ribbons and ribbons of perfectly cooked pasta with a rich and hearty sauce to match. This was my favourite out of the lot by far. The 'Penne Amatriciana' closely followed. The bacon bits were beautiful and I loved the mix of completely melted cheese and the cheese that had just been freshly grated on top. I believe the pasta used in the 'Pesto' was Gemelli. Now, I love a good pesto sauce but sometimes it can be a little boring. This dish kept me excited and going back for more, simply because they added potato and green beans. I absolutely LOVED this! And of course, their 'Ravioli'. Generously filled pockets of smooth ricotta tossed in a creamy, walnut sauce. Just beautiful. Their pastas are amazing, no doubt about that. Oh and ask for their chilli oil. It's homemade and will take your pasta to a whole other level! We got to try the ‘Prosciutto e Rucola’. It had a good amount of topping on the perfect base, ensuring an easy pick up and a nice fold. The prosciutto was some of the finest I’ve seen and again, with their chilli oil, it turned it into something special.

Hands down my favourite place for Gnocci, yum! I also love the Italian feeling of the place, I love the décor, its definitely a vibe in there. Cute little street. The owner is super friendly and a little eccentric, I do not know him, but have always found him very friendly. Lycee martinis are also a big hit. It's a bit dark in there, but adds to the ambiance.

Terrible experience here. We thought we'd try this place as the menu and vibe looked nice. They don't take bookings so we had to wait outside. The owner came out and asked us how many people, then walked back inside. We waited almost one hour and heard nothing - there was no estimated wait time given and no waitlist either. The owner seated a group of guys who had only been waiting a few minutes - extremely unfair to the 15+ people who had been waiting much longer. One woman outside asked the owner how much longer, he responded with "what you wanna order?", not even so much as a "hello" or "sorry about the wait tonight" or "we are clearing a table for you now". The woman was confused and taken aback by the way he spoke so bluntly. We ended up leaving and eating elsewhere because the service was so bad, it didn't seem worth it to wait any longer. The owner seemed really unfriendly and inconsiderate to the people who had been patiently waiting for ages. Definitely not coming back here.

popped in here on spec tonight with some friends after discovering a nearby restaurant had closed. hadn’t been to the roma in years and, tbh, i wasn’t expecting muc. but damn! if that eye fillet wasn’t one of the best steaks i’ve ever had. i ordered medium rare and got… medium rare! it had a delicious crust and juicy centre. the mushroom sauce was great. and the roast spud chunks and crisp broccoli in a bit of oil rounded it off perfectly. my friend from overseas had the barramundi and was in heaven. what a gem of a joint.