osteria ilaria

we were looking for a table at tipo00 (1.5hr waiting time) and saw thisrestaurantnext door and decided to give it a go. the atmosphere is phenomenal. very vibrant, good music, cute fit out. the food is exceptional. everything i would rate 10/10. had the pasta and the risotto - al dente perfection. the cocktail i had was very unique and tasted absolutely delicious. the flavours are perfectly balanced. had an amazing experience. would be recommending to all my friends!!

we were planning to go to tip00 for an early dinner without any reservation then we were told there is two hours waiting time. so we decided to go to thisrestaurantinstead.
thisrestaurantwasn't very crowded when we first arrive and getting really busy as the night went past on a weekday night. for the food, the highlight for us were the calamari dish and the pasta dish. there were delicious. the octopus dish that the waiter highly recommended for us tastes too overwhelming for us. the sauce was too strong that it cover the taste of the octopus.
service was very friendly and lovely ambience.

phenomenal! definitely consider if you don’t feel like waiting at their sisterrestaurantnext door. amazing service. accommodating to dairy and gluten free.

in general a good place to go our for decent dinner. good value of food and would be plenty if you order chef selection
service is ok but not so very warm... might be theirrestaurantculture ??
good experience but wouldn’t be no.1 choice to also go back and revisit

a beautifulrestaurantthat i wouldn’t hesitate to visit again. we ordered the chef’s selection, all the dishes were perfection and it was just the right amount of food for us. the wine list is extensive and the staff are very knowledgeable if you need help. service is fantastic and staff are really friendly. can’t wait to visit again soon.

we are spoilt for choice in this city. arestauranthas to be good to survive, and as diners we are as discerning as any metropolis. word-of-mouth is key. osteria ilaria was recommended to me for the crave-worthy cabbage that finished on the menu the week before i finally got to try this place. but with a new menu and an extensive wine list, we were still tempted.

we visited osteria ilaria for a late lunch without a booking and we were seated upon arrival. being the sisterrestaurantof tipo 00, we had high hopes for this place, and it did not disappoint!

the venue is spacious, and the tables are quite large too. we were seated towards the back of the restaurant, which was a little more private and had a nice romantic ambience.

our waiter was extremely kind and walked us through the whole menu, explaining each dish and giving us recommendations.

we started off with the complimentary bread and butter. the bread was fluffy and the butter was incredibly soft. i only wish there was more of it!

our first dish was the porcini mushroom croquette, and it was delicious. it was crispy, creamy and flavourful. the mushroom flavour was there but it wasn’t too strong as one of us, who usually hates mushrooms, really enjoyed it.

we had one zucchini flower to share between the three of us as we didn’t want to fill up too quickly. the zucchini flower was light and crispy, whilst the inside was creamy and thick. a nice dish but not as wow-ed by it as some of the other dishes.

next was the burrata, as recommended by our waiter. i loved this dish - the pickled quince was sour and refreshing, and combined beautifully with the creaminess of the burrata.

our last starter was the octopus. another very impressive dish - the octopus was cooked very well with a nice char. i liked the spiciness of the sauce which worked well with the octopus.

after a great start to the meal, we were on to our pastas.

we had to try the paccheri pasta - the dish that they are known for - and it did not disappoint! the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, and the shape of it was very unique too. i loved the flavours of the sauce and the crystal bay prawns were lovely.

we also had the saffron gramigna, which, although being our least favourite of the three pastas we tried, it was still very enjoyable. the dish was heavier, though i liked the textures from the duck sausage and artichoke.

but our favourite pasta was their special of the night - truffle tagliatelle. the truffle sauce was just so incredibly flavourful and delicious - i could eat two bowls of this! honestly, you don’t want to miss out on this dish.

as the portions of our mains were quite small, we still had room for dessert, so we decided to go for all three of them.

the chocolate semifreddo surprised me with its lightness - the texture was unlike anything i’ve had before. the chocolate is more on the bitter side, so the overall dish isn’t that sweet either. a very pleasant dessert!

the juniper meringue was also very light, and the sweetest dessert. although i enjoyed the texture of the meringue, i’m not quite sure how i felt about the juniper as it had a strange taste.

finally, my favourite dessert was the rhubarb and custard - the tartness of the rhubarb paired with the sweet and creamy custard was just divine!

overall, we had an incredible time at osteria ilaria. i would definitely recommend checking them out!

i heard so much about thisrestaurantand was pumped to try it out!

love the shop decor it feels very italian. we found the staff to be a bit over passionate. after we told her we were not that hungry so may order a few dishes to share, she was still keen to sell us all the dishes and didn't seem too happy as we turned her down. that wasn't very professional.

the gnocchi has to be my favourite. it melted in my mouth and super flavoursome. octopus was also great only hope the portion size is bigger.

next come to the big issue: the whiting fish has loads of small bones and i got choked. this is unacceptable as it wasn't written on the menu and the bones are super hard to tell. at least the staff should remind us of the bones! we ended up having to handpick lots of bones out of the fish.

the zucchini flower was crispy on the outside but not sure about the texture and taste on the inside. was a bit bland and not really enjoyed that one.

overpriced, limited selection and average food. sorry but won't be back.

the first good impression starts when you enter in the osteria. the cosy atmosphere, the music and the decor make you feel at ease instantly. the good journey completes the same;
all the dishes are tasting like italy, from the simple porcini croqueta, to the gnocchi... certainly one of the best italianrestaurantin melbourne

we rocked up early without a reservation (just before 6pm), sure enough therestaurantwas at full capacity shortly after. the space is much more larger than tipo 00 and seats are easier to acquire. it also boasts a wide open kitchen so grabbing seating next to the cooking station or even at the bar wouldn't be entirely bad.

we started off with their negroni oscuri (their house negroni cocktail) which was a killer cocktail, you get a whiff of basil every time you take a sip. i moved onto their ilaria grande later that night which had a strong sweet orange flavour.

they complimented us with some olive bread and butter, would have preferred the entire roll to smother that beautiful soft butter all over, it was really smooth. we got a porcini mushroom croquette each served with some aioli, perfectly crisp and the interior was creamy mushroom, delightful and not overpowering.

the surprise dish was their burrata with pickled quince and bitter leaves. whilst the cheese was mild in flavour it was wonderfully milky and slightly stringy. it was a great combination which highlighted the freshness of the burrata. the kingfish with persimmon and salted radish was another great dish, the persimmon was slightly sweet and did not detract from the quality of the fish. 

at this point there was a bit of delay with our next dish, my guess is that they're at full capacity and absolutely swamped in the kitchen (i made the enquiry just to make sure). shortly after our final starter dish came, it was octopus with an n'dujo (speck) and anchovy sauce. this combination gave off a similar flavour profile to a spicy chorizo. the octopus was nicely charred and a bit muscular, not the softest but i enjoy a good chew.

the first of our pasta dishes arrive and it was my favourite dish of the night. it was paccheri pasta (almost like sheets) with a rich sorrel, tomato and (from what i'm told) scampi sauce topped with pieces of crystal bay prawns. not sure if they did actually utilise two types of crustacean in this dish but the sauce was to die for and if no one was watching, i'd lick the plate clean. the pasta on the other hand was perfectly cooked and al dente.

our table was cleared and our waiter actually thought that was it. there was yet another delay with our order and our waiter went to check with the kitchen. ideally you'd want all your main dishes out at the same time (we chose not to get any main meat dishes and stuck with pasta) but we didn't mind as much as the food so far was stellar and it gave us a bit of breathing room in between dishes. the gramigna pasta was good but did not quite live up to the highs of the previous dish. perfectly cooked and packed some bite, paired with duck sausage and artichoke. we did not expect our side of potatoes to come in a singular form which looked like a japanese nasu dengaku (miso glazed eggplant). a great side which was slightly burnt on the surface and sat on top of a creamy fontina cheese sauce.

finishing up we got a trio of desserts (all of them). their deconstructed cheesecake consisted of goats curd (cheesecake) with passion fruit and toffee biscuit. solid dessert. the juniper meringue with white chocolate cream and desert lime is reminiscent of a pavlova, crumbly and sweet. lastly the chocolate semifreddo with citrius cream and olive oil was a weird combination but not the first time i've had chocolate and olive oil together. when done right it can be delicious but i found that the saltiness was too dominant.

despite the food not coming out in sequence it could be forgiven, dish after dish left a positive impression on me. ultimately they rectified the situation before it became an issue. some of the best italian/modern italian food i've had within australia, so much so it has just given me unrealistic expectations for tipo 00.

an excellent italian/mediterraneanrestaurantnext to tipo 00. i opted for the chef’s selection menu $80, it was so delicious and value for money. i was served about 9-10 dishes and left therestaurantabsolutely satisfied and full! will skip dinner tonight.

had a quick visit tonight with last minute booking which they accommodated a table of 3. thought i found therestaurantto be very hot inside as the weather was pretty warm outside, not sure if their air-conditioning was writing or not. had the octopus in ndjua, porcini mushroom croquettes, tube pasta in light bisque and prawns and the roast chicken with freekah. all were very delicious and served in a timely manner. great attentive service and good food to match. would recommend and return to try other menu items.

excellentrestaurantsmall menu but all meals were amazing. pork sausage was my favourite but saying that the octopus was not far behind. sorry forgot rum baba was also outstanding. loved it all.
great modern italian restaurant.

the sisterrestaurantto tipo 00, this place does not disappoint. the interior is very sleek and modern with a rustic touch. i found the service to be efficient and friendly, and slightly more approachable than tipo 00. we ordered the mushroom croquettes and the gnocchi. both were amazing! the menu is limited compared to tipo 00 which, as an indecisive person when it comes to ordering, is a good thing!

we visited osteria ilaria as a surprise for a friends birthday. therestaurantis beautifully designed, clean, stylish, and accomodating.

we ordered a variety of items, the highlights being the prawn pasta, croquettes, the squid ink risotto and the calamari. we had a party of 5 so we ordered alot of dishes. the food was delicious, and as it should be for the price.

in saying that, our waiter was lovely. he kept, telling us “oh we had some leftovers so we’ve put together a little extra for you” or “here’s a complimentary extra plate of pasta/bread” he did this roughly, 5 times during the night. we did not order this food, and the waiter explicitly said it was left overs on more than one table visit. when we got the bill, turns out they were not left overs whatsoever, and we were charged for dishes we did not order/want - but we’re given them under the impression they were complimentary. it was an extra $177 on top of our bill. this really left a sour taste in all of our mouths, and it really put a damper towards the end of a nice evening.