The Moat — Restaurant in Melbourne

A lovely, intimate experience with a truly delicious menu.

My partner and I were looking for an Italian-style restaurant before we returned from our holiday. We weren't able to get a table at our first choice; fortunately for us, the Moat welcomed us that night.

An unassuming, charmingly moody yet romantic hideout, the Moat serves up a tidy menu which highlights their expertise and care for their craft. We ordered the homemade focaccia, olive oil and balsamic for starters, pumpkin and gnocchi with sage butter sauce and a light, creamy ravioli with peas for mains, as well as the margarita and Lt. Lonsdale cocktail.

The pasta was gorgeous, and we both raved about the gnocci; every element was balanced and tasted amazing together, with nothing overpowering. The gnocchi was a knockout, definitely the star of the night. So buttery and nutty, but not heavy at all. The Lt. Lonsdale was a fun, floral and light complement to the delicate richness of the pasta.

Another couple next to us ordered the lamb shoulder and the twice roasted chats; it smelled and looked divine. A must try for our next time.

Bear with me as I am writing this a year after we dined at The Moat, however it was so memorable that I had to review (I've been meaning to this whole time as it's well deserved!) and would definitely come back if I was nearby.

Thank you guys for your incredible food and service....

Booked on open table and the only time slot available for standard seating (indoors vs outdoors) was at 8:30pm on a Saturday night which suited us! The venue was actually hard to find especially at night as there isn’t really a sign outside other than a chalk board or umbrellas up but look out for the railings that’s how we spotted it.

As we arrived we were shown to only what I would describe as a waiting area as it was a long bench with a round table in front opposite the kitchen walkway. But thankfully the waiter did reseat us in a more appropriate area once I asked to move as I don’t know how they would expect someone to have a full meal there.

We had 2 starters to share, a main each, a side of potatoes and 1 dessert between us. I had the king prawn dish which was delicious and a great portion size. My boyfriend had the lamb gnocchi special which, was very tasty but as he described “a child’s portion” 😂. So maybe be mindful the specials may be smaller than the menu dishes.

It was quite loud which we didn’t mind but I probably wouldn’t recommend for anyone on a first date or if looking for something more intimate. Seemed great for birthdays or catch-ups with friends 🥂

Service was great, very tentative waiters and waitresses. The wine was also delicious, shout out to NZ for never letting the...

Absolutely love the ambience, it’s nice and snug and the location couldn’t get any better. The outdoor area is well heated for those cold winter evenings. And the service is top notch. Now let’s talk about the food — absolutely delicious! Right from the entrees, to the mains, down to the dessert, just everything was delicious and my compliments to the chef. There was attention to detail, something as simple as the cornichons was nailed right!

We had

the focaccia with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The focaccia was warm and honestly one of the best I’ve had, can’t get it out of my head Mushroom and lentil pate with crostini and cornichons — damn those crostinis, were so delicate and the crispiest I’ve had Ravioli filled with pumpkin. This dish was my highlight, the sweet but savoury flavours reminded me of Diwali back home! Puttanesca was lovely too Chocolate mousse — we thought we wouldn’t finish it coz we were quite full, but it was so smooth, silky and delicious that we wiped our plates clean!

It came to around $75 per person. Would highly...