Cafe de Stasio

Cafe de Stasio has remained largely unchanged at 31a Fitzroy St. St.Kilda for decades. Its high end Italian cuisine has been a favourite of former Age food guru John Lethlean whose unfailing flattering reviews, combined with promient advertisments in Epicure, have helped maintain its prominent place in the Melbourne food scene.

We have been to a couple of $30 'business' lunches which failed to impress except for the noise. The serves were small and the food unimpressive but perhaps dinner would be a better meal to judge by.

The place is as noisy as ever, the place to go if you don't want to talk. There is a competent air about the waiters in their short white coats, bow ties and professional demeanour. The tables are a good size for two with good linen, cutlery and glassware though the wine glass containing a candle

and wrapped in a cone of paper stuck into shape with a strip of paper titled de Stasio is more suited for a table at a cheap cafe which this certainly is not.

After the ", would you care for something to drink " as we reached the table which always annoys me, we were left alone for sometime before receiving menus.

My entrees of Parmesan herb crusted scallops on the shell was dry and overcooked the crumbs close to burnt.


The lobster omelet was also completely overcooked

- really a frittata . We returned them both. The replacement scallops were little better, still dry and missing the tender succulent sweetness characteristic of the best scallops. Rather than another try of the omelet we had an angel hair pasta in a fish sauce with some fish in it.
This was a very good entree and the waiter actually split the serve and presented it to us in two plates as we said we were sharing. Probably reduces the laundry bill that way.

For mains I indulged myself with roast suckling pork

which was served with a roasted apple some tough chard and a good rich sauce ($43) Sandra had an excellent roast duck

for her main.

The dessert was disappointing-
small, sweet and unremarkable. A bottle of Bellusi Prosecco about $34 retail was $75 or $15 by the glass was one of the least expensive offerings.

Over priced and over rated It will be a long time before I come back
Score: 13.5/20 but less for the food!