Emilia reviews an Italian restaurant which Jamie Oliver went to recently!
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“If it’s good enough for Jamie, it’s good enough for me” I thought. Jamie Oliver was at 1800 Lasagne last week, I’ve been meaning to go for the longest time so he gave me the push to try it out.
Russ, you’d love their branding; the colours, their story, their collateral. Starting as a lasagne delivery service, owner Joey Kellock was slinging lasagna around the ‘burbs in his ’91 Holden Barina with 1800 Lasagne decals. That has grown into a brown brick, 1960s feeling Italian joint still under the name 1800 Lasagne with their crown jewel still being their Lasagne Di Carne, which is both beef & pork.
The lasagne sheets are so fresh, the sauce is the perfect balance of beef and pork. The best bit for me is the oozy béchamel sauce crown and the crunch of the browned cheese. It’s like I got my way when I used to help mum make lasagne as a kid, “more béchamel, more!”. You can also get the eggplant version for a vegetarian option and the béchamel is just as good.
Essentially this restaurant hinges on the lasagne and everything is catered to complimenting the lasagne. That’s not to say the rest of the menu isn’t amazing, it absolutely is but they know what they do best and they keep the menu small because of that. To start, you HAVE to have the garlic bread- it’s oozing in butter and slathered in garlic (maybe give it a swerve if you’re on a first date). Honestly, I would consider getting two serves, one to eat before and one to sop up the pasta sauces during or you can get the ricotta with roast tomato.
In terms of the pastas, they nail each one. The casarecce, which is smooth, bright pesto topped with roasted pine nuts. I tried this in gluten free to see how their gluten free pasta was – it was delicious and the structural integrity was great, which is not always the case for gluten free.
I also tried the gnocchi, the pillows are very soft. I personally like my gnocchi a little firmer but the softness meant it could soak up the sauce, of which there was a plenty. This is one of those sauces where you need bread to circle the bowl to get every last bit, napoli sauce and stracciatella included.
For freshness, I tried the cos wedge which has anchovy cream through the leaves, topped with grana. I can tell you now, I didn’t expect what came out, the grana cheese was as big as the lettuce wedge itself. Again, it’s like eight-year-old me stood by the chef telling them, “keep going, keep going”. It’s this kind of playfulness and fun you feel throughout the restaurant; from the staff, service, seating, the car out the front.
They have an extensive Italian wine list but on a balmy night I had to try the organic Italian cider. I was so delighted at just how good it was. Perfectly crispy and fresh to cut through the richness of Italian sauces.
1800 Lasagne has found a niche in the market and owned it, Good Food gave them a hat for a lasagne restaurant, Jamie Oliver had to visit whilst in Melbourne and they are busy at the moment, booking essential.
1800 Lasagne
653 High St
Thornbury 3071