The night was for celebrating and so an appropriate venue had to be selected. Surprisingly in researching, there were only a few places that seemed to interest me for the occasion. They were Jolley's Boathouse, Concubine and Chianti (and I had already chosen Delicatessen and Press for the previous nights more casual meals). In the end Chianti won due to an exciting take on classic Italian and the locavore mentality. Jolley's had higher ratings but the menu didn't excite and Concubine is unlikely to be much better than all the equivalent Melbourne versions.
For a place with white-table service, the atmosphere in Chianti is surprisingly cosy and homely. I liked the plates decorating the walls with Audrey Hepburn-type faces.
Complementary ciabatta, some mild EVOO and a small amuse bouche of veal with herbs started things off.
- Antipasti Misti (Local artisan cured meats, prosciutto di Parma, arancini, grissini, mozzarella di buffala, local sardines pickled ‘in saor’, baccala mantecato, balsamic marinated mushrooms, marinated zucchini, olives & additional daily appetisers) $38.0 - the proscuitto was very mild flavoured and the softest I've ever tried, arancini crisp with rice that tasted slightly mushroom or truffled, fresh mild mozzarella and two warm meatballs in ragu;
- Girello di Vitello (slow poached veal girello, truffled anchovy mayonnaise, caper leaves & Ortiz anchovies) $24.9 - very nice individual elements (particularly the anchovies) but not so overwhelming overall. I'd probably go for the octopus or lamb brains next time;
- Fiori di Zucchini (zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta & smoked mozzarella, lightly fried in batter, served with capsicum & almond Romesco) $24.5 - large lovely flowers skilfully fried with a nutty red pepper sauce. I wish there were more than 2 flowers.
After a short intermission the mains were brought out in all their glory:
- Fazzoletti con Anguilla (house-made pasta ‘handkerchiefs’, smoked eel, black truffle & walnuts) $35.9 - excellent unusual pasta dish with eel and crunchy textural walnuts. I couldn't detect much black truffle. Note to mix the pasta sheets early as a few stuck together toward the end as the dish cooled down;
- Linguine allo Scoglio (Spencer Gulf king prawns, Coorong pipis, mussels & fish, Frank’s tomato passata, white wine, garlic & olive oil, no shells) $36.9 - beautifully presented seafood in a clean and much milder than expected sauce;
- Arrosto d’Agnello (roasted Pure Suffolk lamb rump, marinated eggplant, roasted garlic & crema di fagioli) $39.5 - a perfectly cooked lamb with nice eggplant and very discernible garlic flavour;
- Coniglio al Forno (Chianti’s traditional slow cooked Adelaide Hills farmed rabbit, pancetta, port & sage) $39.9 - often rabbit is dry and so it was a small risk but with that description, I couldn't avoid it. The rabbit had one tender piece and one slightly drier piece but overall excellent with a meaty pancetta sauce that lifted the insides of the meat.
Insalata di Campo $11.9 was a side of mixed leaves and not much more. I'd probably try the green bean or tomato salad next time. None of the dishes came with vegetable accompaniments so it is a necessary side.
The food and cooking quality is excellent, as expected by this kind of restaurant with the associated prices. Fried lambs brains and the Budino di Cioccolato hot chocolate pudding will be certainties for next time. I could smell the pudding from the surrounding tables but unfortunately didn't have the stomach capacity this time.
The service is overall very good. One thing I would note is that in being friendly, you are occasionally forgotten briefly due to attention and conversation being paid to other customers (and I suppose other customers would feel the same way when I had the attention). For example ordering took a little while, waiting for the dessert menu too (which in the end opted to end the meal rather than wait longer) and paying the bill too. The service still warranted a decent tip (which is very rare for me in Australia) so that still says something.