San Paolo Solarino

Restaurant: San Paolo Solarino – Pasta and Wine Bar Date: 07/10/2013 Address: 7 Howey Place, Melbourne CBD. The San Paolo Solarino Pasta and Wine Bar is situated in the heart the central district of Melbourne. At first glance, it appears to be a café rather than a fine dining restaurant. We had decided to attend the restaurant after recommendation from Urbanspoon, whom rated San Paolo Solarino at 87%.

   

 I think dinning is all about experiences. It is a combination of the food, the service, the atmosphere, and the company that you are with. I am of the view that the enjoyment of food is exceptionally subjective and it greatly depends how the person is feeling at the time. The experience that San Paolo Salarino provided was exceptionally intimate, perfectly fitted for a date. The ambience is relaxing allows the main focus on your date. Everything else was just supplementary, including the Spanish waiter whom I could not understand.

   

 We ordered two dishes from San Paolo Salarino. I had the prawn risotto with capsicum, rocket and a light garlic sauce. My friend, the wonderfully amazing Dr B had the gnocchi in a tomato and cheese sauce. The risotto was well cooked and its ingredients were relatively fresh. However, I found that the risotto lacked genuine flavour due to the lack of seasoning and utilising proper stock. The gnocchi was uncomplicated and the tomato sauce would have a momentous difficulty in hiding the poorly made gnocchi. The gnocchi was too soft suggesting too much potato and not enough flour. However, I recognise that everyone has different expectation when it comes to a gnocchi. For example, for Dr B, the gnocchi was not soft enough.

 

Overall, the experience of San Paolo Solarin remains positive. I would recommend it for people who are looking for a quiet place where they have the optimal environment to connect with each other.