Cirelli&Co — Restaurant in Melbourne

We tried the seafood antipasto entree special which was a yummy way to begin the meal and I appreciated the presence of several mocktails on the menu which during pregnancy I noticed weren’t that prevalent many places so it’s nice to have inclusive options.

For mains we enjoyed the Margherita pizza and Napoli gnocchi. The gnocchi is made in house and was light as a feather. The pizza dough is 48 hour fermented and you can absolutely taste the difference, it was perfection.

For dessert they have an incredibly impressive cabinet with house made treats as well as several traditional sweet selections. We tried the panna cotta, tiramisu and Nutella calzone. The calzone was the most generous serve I’ve ever seen and could easily have satisfied 4 people. I gave it a valiant effort and then delighted in the leftovers for the next days breakfast, I definitely recommend leaving room for the delicious deserts!

Original review I dined as a guest of Cirelli & Co last night and while the staff were phenomenal and the place was utterly packed to the rafters there was definitely some room for improvement. I absolutely loved the atmosphere and the heavy Italian accent of the owner made me feel as though I was in Italy.

This is predominantly a pasta bar but we had a twisted calzone entree which we were told was a 500 year old traditional recipe. This was something quite unique as I’ve not seen it on a menu ever before and was effectively a thin and crispy fried calzone. Worth trying for something different but quite oily. I considered it to be like a diet pizza as it was so much lighter but it’s surprisingly filling. Calamari was our second entree.

Main wise we shared two pastas the gnocchi Sorrentina and Gigli pesto (slightly different to the menu listed on Zomato). These were great dishes for ease of sharing unlike a spaghetti dish. Gigli was a pasta I haven’t had before which has a bell like shape. These are all freshly made however I found the pesto sauce to be very oily. Obviously I understand pesto lends itself to oiliness but it was a little too overpowering for me.

Both dishes looked super impressive and I loved the big buffalo mozzarella on top of the gnocchi dish. This was so creamy and fresh. Unfortunately I found the red sauce lacking sweetness of flavour and it tasted a bit tinned tomato like. My dining companion did point out however that that’s what pasta sauce tastes like in Italy but for me I wanted some sort of basil or herbs coming through.

I should also mention our cocktails which were well made and visually stunning. I had a gin and rosemary special which was lovely and refreshing and we also had a classic negroni. Deserts to finish on a sweet note. I ordered the chocolate lava cake special which is one of my favourite indulgences. This had a gooey centre and was a little bitter but perfect when combined with the ice cream and lick of caramel on the plate.

We also tried the cannoli and I liked that this was chocolate at one end of the perfectly crunchy shell and pistachio at the other. This is a nice light way to end the meal for those who don’t have a huge sweet tooth. Overall amazing potential but didn’t quite hit...

Dinner @Cirelli_Co for some Italian fare. Home-made Tagliatelle with Oven Roasted Tomatoes & Ricotta Pesto, Fried Eggplant Cubes, Cherry Tomatoes & topped with Almond Flakes

Wow, what a dish! Delicious perfectly cooked tagliatelle immersed in a flavoursome ricotta pasta sauce which absolutely makes this dish. With a slight touch of sweetness from the oven roasted tomatoes, soft texture and earthy tones from the eggplant and almond flakes for extra body, a touch of optional chilli oil for some bite and a generous number of spoonfuls of grated parmesan for sharp flavour notes, this is a superb dish. Possibly could do with more of the cherry tomatoes to provide a burst of sweetness and acidity to balance against the richness of the dish.

Tiramisu with Pistachio Paste, Mascarpone, Savoiardi & Coffee For dessert I asked for recommendations and chose a personal favourite, tiramisu, but went with the non-traditional version made with pistachio paste as something different. This didn't disappoint having the usual soft airy texture, no coffee kick replaced by a lovely smooth pistachio layer as well as the delicious pistachio paste. This disappeared in no time and was a perfect end to an excellent meal.

Visited again. Dinner @Cirelli_Co for Italian fare. Seafood Antipasto Special Lots of fried calamari and tempura veggies, pan fried garlic and chilli king prawns, and sauteed octopus.

What an array of delicious seafood. Great dish with variety and heaps of food, this could easily have been a main shared between two. The calamari is tender, lightly fried with a thin batter, a squeeze of lemon makes it even better. So too the delicious fleshy tender king prawns. The sauteed octopus is super tender and thoroughly enjoyed. I like the tempura veggies. Excellent dish and very filling.

For mains we got another blackboard special of pizza with a white base, mozzarella, mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio.

Fantastic pizza, light thin crispy base, blistered in the woodfired oven, dough risen, slightly chewy, delicious mortadella, crunch from the pistachio, light fresh creaminess from the stracciatella, excellent meal. Too full, no possibility of dessert.

#ItalianFood #tagliatelle #ovenroastedtomatoes #ricottapesto #flakedalmonds #friedeggplant #seafood #calamari #kingprawns #octopus #tempuraveggies #pizza #mozzarella #stracciatella #mortadella #dessert #sweettooth #tiramisu #pistachio #Foodie #melbournefood...

I went here with my mum last night for a Mother’s Day dinner and cannot overstate how wonderful our experience was. Despite how busy it was the staff didn’t stutter with their kindness and enthusiasm; thus creating a warm and calm environment for us to dine in. We started with the gluten free garlic, rosemary, and cheese focaccia and the base was so tasty even my mum (who can eat gluten) was impressed. It was massive and the flavour was so addictive we had to talk ourselves out of devouring our entree so we had room for our mains, and I’m glad we stopped eating the focaccia because the pasta servings were extremely generous. Mum ordered the gnocchi bolognese and complimented every bite. We joke in my family that my mother is little bird as she usually will have a few bites of food and be full, but she blissfully ate majority of her dish. I initially ordered a gluten free gnocchi carbonara, but unfortunately the kitchen had run out of the pasta, so I changed my order to the gluten free fusilli with pistachio pesto and marinated raw tuna. I believe fate intervened in that moment, because it was the best meal I’ve ever eaten. The sauce and tuna worked shockingly well together and I was completely taken aback by the flavour profile. I dine out so frequently that it’s almost embarrassing, and while I usually enjoy my experience I am rarely blown away. It’s only the next morning, and I’m already craving another bowl! I had an amazing evening, but most importantly my mum has not stopped raving about her night out at Cirelli & Co. Thank you for such a memorable night and meal! We’ll...