Bellocale Italian Seafood Restaurant — Restaurant in Queensland

I would like to preface this review by stating that I have lived in northern Italy for several years and this food is probably a 7/10 or 8/10 in comparison. Having written that, there are several positives that should be highlighted. First, the service is excellent. Despite every table being full, the waitstaff was rapid, attentive, and knowledgeable. The restaurant offers Peroni and Menabrea beer. The bruschetta is well done, although going the extra mile by blanching and peeling the tomatoes and adding more fresh basil would really enhance the flavour and texture. Overall a pleasing dish, 8/10. The tuna carpaccio with aioli was average, 5/10. The tuna is thinly sliced and then basically stuck to the plate with a ring of mayonnaise-based aioli and a bit of salad on top with aceto balsamico. The tuna comes off tasteless and only contributes texture and mouth-feel to the dish. The aioli should contain egg and oil by design, but using mayonnaise is a bad substitute. The salad has a nice balsamic dressing which tastes good and dominates the dish. Either opting for a thicker tuna slice or substituting sliced salmon and ditching the aioli would be an improvement. Finally, the linguini with shrimp was above average, 7/10. The pasta was correctly cooked and retained good firmness. The dish is heavy on the garlic and it tends to overpower every other taste, so the shrimp offer only a minor flavour, and the cherry tomatoes are obliterated. This dish could be improved by reducing the garlic and olive oil slightly, and adding the pomodorini (cherry tomatoes) at the very end so that they retain some shape and flavour. I would even opt for warm, raw tomatoes for a slightly sweeter result. I requested a decaf espresso and the result was bad - 0/10. It was bitter and watery. Espresso should be like a syrup with a strong aroma (but not smell burnt). Sadly, this is a recurring theme in most places outside Italy. A good way to know if the espresso is the proper thickness is to add large-granulated sugar to the cup. It should pause on the surface before soaking slowly into the espresso. If it disappears immediately it’s too watery. For the above dishes and two bottles of Menabrea I paid $78, with no charge for the espresso that is...

Spending the weekend in Cairns, we were a bit worried about dining at Bellocale, as we hadn't brought any nice clothing (rookie mistake) and we had our dog with us - and couldn't just leave him at the camp site! We called in advance and the staff were happy to accommodate us and Arthur (doggo) on their patio. It was a nice spot without a whole lot of traffic on Sunday evening, and the staff were just as friendly in person as they were on the phone.

First course was the Bruschetta al Funghi. Honestly, I found it to be a bit bland. The dish had a sweet balsamic on top, but I found that it was a sourness that was otherwise missing from the dish, and I think they should have been a bit more liberal with it to cut into the richness of the pumpkin more.

Main dish I had the Pappardelle Bugs, which was super good and I would definitely order again. The potion size was perfect to accompany an appetiser and dessert for someone as hungry as I was, the portions of lobster were generous, and it was overall an incredibly tasty dish. My girlfriend had the Risotta alla Pescatora, which I found a bit runnier then I typically like, but also very good and full of seafood! I have to mention that the chef doesn't mess about with garlic. If you don't like garlic, you should definitely mention that to your server, but if you do - you'll love these mains!

For dessert we had the Tiramisu and an Affogato. I found the Tiramisu, while very tasty, a bit dry. Again, it's certainly just my preference, as the style I was served would be excellent with coffee or tea on the side, it was a bit too spongy to be served without ice cream or something to work with the texture. The Affogato was exactly as expected and very good!

Although not quite perfect - overall great food, nice ambience, and friendly staff. Definitely warrants a 5-star review from me! Great place for a...

What in the FNQ foodie paradise is this?! Firstly, Bellocale is in tropical Cairns, gateway to the magnificent Reef - location, location, location! Secondly, we had just arrived from chilly Sydney hoping to find a special place to enjoy our first dinner in Cairns. I called Bellocale to see if we needed a booking. The lady said they had space later that night but we were hungry now so decided to go elsewhere. A few fateful minutes later, that lovely lady rang us back to ask if we could come asap and she'd fit us in now - sooooo grateful for that call back or we may never have had one of the most memorable meals in my life!!! Seafood has always been a delectable staple in my diet and I've had plenty of delizioso Italian meals, including in Italy, but never had my tastebuds experienced the oceanic joy of Bellocale's sumptuous Seafood Ravioli. I swear I heard a choir sing, but it was actually the ravioli - a gorgeous medley of Gulf tiger prawns, blue swimmer crab and FNQ nannygai encased in soft pasta pillows slathered in velvety lobster butter cream sauce. E squisito! Meanwhile my hubby ordered the Fileto Di Manzo - prosciutto-wrapped Darling Downs marbled Angus fillet steak, sauteed spinach, mushroom, red wine jus on a bed of truffle mash... what in the black truffle magic?! I'm not a red meat fan but if all meat dishes were that amazing, I'd probably go total carnivore. Spettacolare! Oh but that Seafood Ravioli. I'm salivating just reminiscing - so freaking goooooooood. The only negative is that while we enjoyed meals elsewhere, nothing was quite as awesome as the first meal we relished at Bellocale, ha! Thank you so much for fitting us in!! If we had more time, we'd have eaten there every night. This is definitely our Beautiful Local when we're in Cairns!!...