Da Noi

Address:   95 Toorak Road, South Yarra, 98665975
Score: 34/40
A true culinary institution on the Melbourne food scene, Da Noi’s simple, heartfelt Italian cooking hits the spot.

Sardinian restaurant Da Noi is famous for two things. The first thing is its size – it is tiny, making booking is essential. We visited on a Tuesday night and every table was full. The second is its total and complete lack of a menu. The chef/owner Pietro Porcu & Carlo Havelberg cook what they want, based on what looks good at the market that day. It means that what you get is seasonal, fresh and unprediatable.

Everyone I told about my upcoming trip to Da Noi had the same reaction – don’t bother going if you don’t have the degustation. So, quite simply, we did. But taking a look around the restaurant, it seems to be the only way to do things at Da Noi! At $85 a head, it’s also very reasonable.

We started with a selection of antipasto. Crunchy, vinegar-flavoured green beans with garlic, oysters, red peppers, stuffed zucchini and crepe with ocean trout. These were followed by a house-cured venison (breasaola) with fried borage flowers. It was salty, but the saltiness didn’t linger and you could taste the flowers above and beyond the light batter.

A fish broth with tomatoes, mint and angel hair pasta had little goujons on delicate, plump white fish. It was delicate with a hint of spice in the aftertaste but I personally would have preferred just a little bit more salt. It was however, truly delicious.

The pasta course was large ravioli with potato, pecorino, taleggio and an egg. When you slice open the one, over-sized ravioli, the egg inside sends beautiful, glossy, yellow yolk onto the plate. The dish was extremely rich and I truly have no idea the technique behind the preparation, so I have no idea whether the pasta could have been rolled thinner, but if it could that would be my only suggestion. It was a decadent treat.

The main course was an osso bucco on fregolone pasta and gremolata. It had a fragrant lemon flavour that really lifted the whole dish. The pasta was something I haven’t seen before and reminded me of farfel. The meat defied gravity – it was together on the plate, comfortably, but the minute  your fork made contact, the whole thing collapsed off the bone perfectly and deep and rich in flavour.

For dessert we had a mixed plate of quince tart, panacotta with pear and chocolate ganache tart with marsala and prunes. We also got a bonus slice of flourless almond cake, which was in fact the highlight for me. The chocolate ganache cake really needed some cream or even perhaps a dollop of crème fraiche. But the prunes were a little stroke of genius.

By the end of the meal we were all completely, despite starving ourselves in anticipation. All in all a great meal, with a definite fresh, seasonal theme and fantastic value for money.

Service:  8/10
Food: 8/10
Value for money:  9/10
Ambience: 9/10