At the beach end of Fitzroy St this recently renovated small restaurant provides a pleasant view over the bay towards Westgate bridge. Service is pleasant as is the general ambience of the place and the menu is interesting. In place of the hand written blackboard list of specials a projector displays them, very legibly, high on a side wall.We started with the linguine ($19)
Sapore’s signature dish, with prawns, calamari, mussels, clams, fish, scallops, wild olives, the lightest touch of chilli, garlic, in extra virgin olive oil, a hefty description for spaghetti marinara, as an entree. This is a fine dish which was well balanced with a good variety of seafood in a light olive oil. Not overworked, nor drowned by tomato sauce, as they so often are, this was perfectly cooked. It is normally served as a main ($29). I also thoroughly enjoyed the rabbit agnolotti ($19) 
and unashamedly mopped up the fine sauce with my bread roll. The well filled agnolotti did not have any recognizable rabbit taste but that was of no relevance with the overall effect of the dish being so very good.For mains the duck ($34)
two thick, super tender and lightly flavoured slices of roasted breast and a confit of leg and thigh was superb. The small mushroom filled tortellini added both to the attractive appearance of the dish and to the taste. The free range chicken ($29) with beans and baby brussel sprouts
was another well prepared dish although the crispy skin on the leg had been oversalted.A dessert of beignettes with a valrhona dipping chocolate
was raw in the centre and returned for a fresh batch to be prepared which were cooked through. Neither as sweet nor as light as the famous New Orleans specialty of the Cafe du Monde they disapponted.We drank a 2007 Bollini fruit driven Pinot Grigio from Trentino at the foot of the Dolomites ($37) which is good value and went very well with the food.
About average for a very good middle range restaurant.
If not for a couple of minor glitches this would be a one hat place.
Score: 14.75/20
2 comments:
What was it that gave it the extra .25 ;-)
Hi Ed
It's very subjective. I think overall it was the very pleasing ambience and the very good night we had there. Church St. Enoteca was pretty good too but in a cooler more 'sophisticated' way and probably worth the same mark.
Post a Comment