Ai Fiori Trattoria — Restaurant in Melbourne

World class views over the winery vines and local hills are, unfortunately, not matched by the level of service or, in particular, the disappointing food. Instead of being a fine-dining establishment matching spectacular food and service with spectacular views, this is a casual but pricey eatery that leans too heavily into its relaxed atmosphere, lapsing into carelessness.

I'll generously attribute the hurried service (e.g. plonking down a stack of side plates on the table, rather than distributing them amongst guests) to under-staffing (but, during a weekday lunch?). The staff were otherwise friendly and knowledgeable.

It's damning with faint praise to say that, honestly, the garlic bread was the highlight of the meal - suggesting that we should have embraced the casual eatery vibe and opted for the wood-fire pizza.

Instead, the lamb rump was - even for usually gamey lamb rump - unappetisingly overcooked. And when the grey, well-done lamb is $38 a plate, it really spoils the whole lunch. Similarly, the 1.5 prawns, at $22 a plate, left a literal and metaphorical bad-taste in the mouth. Overall, when you're paying this much you expect food that matches the views.

Unfortunately, it seems the place is ham-strung by it's "northern Italian" shtick. (Also, being "northern Italian", why is the menu so seafood heavy and reminiscent of southern Italy?). It would be better served pivoting the seafood heavy menu towards predominantly local produce, and trusting a chef to create fresh, seasonal local specials. (Disappointingly, we were advised the Barramundi "fish-of-the-day" - the only "Special" on the blackboard - was simply the fish option on the a le carte menu... this "Special" wasn't special, and, we were told, never changes.)

And the experience wasn't improved by being told we couldn't try a sip of the two (relatively expensive, already opened!) wines, to help us decide which glass we'd like with our meals. (Seems reasonable to ask for a sip of the $25/glass white you recommended to pair with the $36 dish, before I commit to something so exorbitant.) Predictably, denying us the opportunity to try and then approve a $25 glass of wine meant we didn't much like the cheaper wines we hurriedly chose instead, AND meant the establishment inevitably lost out on wine sales from the cellar door, since we were now so disgruntled by the experience. All round, a really poor approach to customer service and sales.

I'd recommend people come here on a lovely day to enjoy the views,...

Visited with the family on a fine Tuesday afternoon. We ordered the Arancini, Meatball Tagliatelle, and Prosciutto Pizza.

Arancini tasted good, but I felt that it was a bit soggy. The tagliatelle tasted a bit bland, but eating it with the meatballs balanced things out. Our favorite was definitely the pizza! The prosciutto goes really well with the pesto. The crust was a bit too burnt, but we enjoyed it nevertheless.

I was driving and didn't prefer to drink, so I also ordered their fizzy Peach Iced Tea mocktail. It was so good I had to order another one! 😁

The atmosphere was also really nice, not too crowded. There was a wine tour group on the premises, but they had their own designated space near the entry/wine display. Lots of good photo-taking spots too!

The light blue aesthetics and the vineyard landscape were amazing! Will definitely come back for...

The Italian focus restaurant is very nicely located next to the vineyards. And with sloping hills, the views were very nice and cosy.

The food was ok, not very great, but above average. They oso had a winter special of mains with a free generous pour of a glas of wine. We had the breaded pork and waygu beef meatballs plus pasta tagliatelle..

Service was good, albeit very busy because it's a Tuesday and they are a few open today.

Parking is easy and wine tasting next to restaurant. If Chandon was chic, this is the Italian cosy vibes with grounds for kids and...