It’s a rare occurrence that we venture south of the Yarra, so there has to be a good reason. The recieving of a gift voucher to Cafe Di Stasio (31A Fitzroy St, St Kilda) is one such reason.
Having never been to Di Stasio, I was a little surprised at the small size of the dining room. Despite this, and the proximity of the tables, privacy isn’t an issue on a busy night, as all the conversations of fellow diners tend to blur into one.
The atmosphere is a good balance of casual and formal, so there’s no problem going there in a pair of jeans. Likewise, the service is polished, without being fussy.
However, a restaurant doesn’t get an Age Good Food Guide score of 17 on atmosphere and service alone – the quality of the food is what really counts. For starters we had the spinach and parmesan, and the pasta special, which spaghettini with scallops in a white wine and garlic sauce. These are two very simple dishes, but they were both packed with flavour. The spaghettini may have been slightly overcooked, as it was very clingy.
For mains we had the Agnello Alla Romana and an amatriciana-style Bucantini dish. I can’t comment on the later as I didn’t try any, except to say that it looked very good. The Agnello Alla Romana was fantastic, with the rich white wine, garlic and anchovy-based sauce sticking to the lamb. I only wish the waiter had suggested a side of potatoes, as my dish could have done with some carbohydrate to complement the protein. A side of a mixed green salad was cleansing, but didn’t provide much in the way of carbs.
With a bottle of Leeuwin Estate riesling, the bill came to around $200, to the prices certainly reflect the 17/20 Good Food Guide score, and I wouldn’t exactly call it great value, despite the quality of the food. Next time I wouldn’t mind coming back during the day and trying the lunch special.