Jacqui Felgate reviews: Di Stasio Citta — ‘it oozes Melbourne’
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There’s a reason the name Di Stasio is synonymous with food in Melbourne — it’s that intangible quality that only great restaurants have.
Di Stasio Citta is a little bit art gallery and a whole lot of cool. It just oozes Melbourne.
Located on Spring Street, just down from Parliament House, there’s no signage and even opening the sliding door is a trick! A stunning marble bar runs the length of the room, which is divided by large pillars. Art is projected onto the white walls as waiters silently move about the space. The visual reels change depending on the day.
On the night we dined we enjoyed the three course classics option ($79). That’s another thing about Di Stasio – not only is it exceptional dining – it’s exceptional value for money.
We chose a selection of little bites for entrée. This consisted of fried sage anchovy (acciughe e salvia) baked ricotta, arancini, small focaccia and pizzettas (anchovy is a very underrated dish in my opinion) — I could have eaten a whole bowl of these crispy, salty morsels.
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Our party of three went with pasta for main. The dishes themselves are perhaps Melbourne’s best and change daily. We enjoyed a prawn linguine, mushroom fettuccine with truffle and the pork ragu; rich, tomato-ey and with just the right amount of chilli.
When we started debating who would order what, our waiter offered to split all the pastas into three portions each so we were able to share the dishes. This was a masterstroke. Nothing is too much trouble at Di Stasio, the service is simply wonderful. And the wine list is naturally extensive.
Di Stasio is the kind of place you trust the waiter to pick for you, and our bottle of nebbiolo “costa bassa” ($105) was perfection.
You know when you walk into a restaurant and you just feel special? That feeling where you know you’re in for a great night? I guarantee any trip to Di Stasio Citta will result in just that.
Pro tip: the visual art makes Di Stasio Citta even more special.
Di Stasio Citta
45 Spring Street, Melbourne
distasio.com.au/citta
Ph: 9070 1177