Ragù & Co - Italian Restaurant in SA — Restaurant in Clare

AN AMAZING REVIEW score & Kelly Noble of Glam Adelaide suggesting this may be the best Italian restaurant in SA - I don't think, so - may I suggest Ms Kelly try Enzo's, Martini, Ambrosini or Allegria before prematurely gushing the wares of Umbria Rustic. We booked, arrived exactly on time, were asked to pick a table rather than be ushered to one reserved for us, waited an extraordinary 16 minutes before the table was set, a menu offered or whether we required a drink. Very poor for potentially the best Italian in SA & I let them know. The staff apologised profusely, but their service has failed to match their reputation & expectation. Much has been made of the ambience, it's okay, but you want ambience, try Seed next door, Umbria cannot compete. It was a very cold August night, yet the fire was almost out & quite cold, I expect an authentic Italian would be warm & welcoming, it wasn't. The "rustic" menu appeared rather basic & limited, does an "authentic" Italian restaurant really serve "kangaroo" ravioli back home? Perhaps minced rabbit is the norm in Umbria, fair enough, why not offer a beef option for we mere locals. I thought the pizza options were rather tame & hardly adventurous, again, basic. As an apology for their poor service, we were afforded crusty bread topped with oil & olives, very tasty & appreciated. From previous review recommendations, we ordered Pappardelle Norcina & Fettuccine Bolognese, because, apparently, "they were to die for", but not on this night, though they were both good as were the servings size. I asked for extra parmesan cheese, what arrived was a very small serve of something finely grained, tasteless & devoid of flavour, possibly bought as a generic from Coles, & I do not believe it would be served "back home" as authentic. I don't wish to appear too harsh, the staff tried hard, but failed to achieve the heights their "generous" reviews would suggest - I would not wish to dissuade anyone from coming to Umbria, I think they are worth a try, you may even agree with previous reviews, but neither myself nor my partner were left impressed, nor would we...

Authentic Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria. A warm and inviting ambience inside. Upon arrival, we were escorted to our Table, close to the slow combustion fire. Just perfect ! The Menu selection has authentic Italian cuisine but also various other Dishes and Pizza as well. Prices are average and fair ( mid $30's on average for Mains) You can find their Menu online. Wine and Spirit selection is good. We had the Shiraz and the Italian Prosecco which was beautifully light on the palette and bursting with plenty of bubbles. On my shopping list for sure ! We ordered the "Maccheroni AL Ragù Napoletano" (slow cooked chunky beef and pork ragu in a rich tomato sauce) which had a generous amount of chunky meat I must say which impressed us both and the "Ravioli di Granchio" (house made Ravioli with fresh SA blue swimmer Crab, confit cherry Tomato and fresh dill) ... they were both authentic Italian and absolutely delicious ! The Service was friendly and very attentive both evenings we dined. On the first evening before leaving, a friendly gentleman by the name of Salvatore that we had seen many times busily attending to Patrons during the evening, genuinely asked us if we were happy with everything and our reply... 10/10. We look forward to returning to Clare soon and Ragu Restaurant will be the first place we will be sure to re-book. A credit to everyone from the bottom to the top, including young Rory who was our Waiter both evenings we visited. His cheerful banter was lovely, along with his sharp, attentive Service. Well done all, including the talented Chefs and others in the background that synergistically make this place...

Nice enough place BUT don't bother going if either you or your guests are gluten free! They do have gluten free options. Tonight two of us ordered the same gnocchi dish. Being on a gluten free diet I chose the gluten free version. I paid extra for it which seems to be usual in such places. When the meals came out, the regular pasta was in a big white deep bowl and mine came out on a small shallow plate iwith a single layer of gnocchi. The chef had tried to spread the food out to cover the plate and make it look like a regular sized meal but failing this, ended up having to drizzle some sort of glaze in the empty spaces to fill in the gaps. My friends dish didn't have this addition. In fact her meal was too large for her to finish. Others at the table asked if I'd ordered the entre size by mistake, as my meal was so small Food was barely warm as it was spread out over the plate. Despite pacing myself, II still finished 25 minutes before everyone else and then had to sit there and twiddle my thumbs and make small talk. Was hungry when I got home and made something to eat. I won't be going back here. Next time I'll just get hot chips from somewhere in town.

The chef had tried to spread...