Bellissimo A Tremendous Trattoria…
Stepping out of Melbourne’s winter weather, and inside Bellissimo’s door, we were pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome and professional service that followed.
Bellissimo’s menu features an assortment of well priced dishes including traditional pizza & pasta, as well as a selection of beautifully cooked Italian inspired meat and seafood fare. For starters, we shared a traditional Italian antipasto tasting plate, featuring smoked salmon, cured meats, a lovely variety of grilled & marinated vegetables and crunchy Grissini breadsticks.
My partner decided on the linguine marinara for her main course, which was a lovely version of this classic, featuring plump, fresh seafood in an olive oil base with just a hint of garlic & chilli. Being a meat lover, I couldn’t go past the slow cooked lamb on garlic mash, which arrived medium rare as requested. The lamb was soft, beautifully moist and full
of flavour.
Bellissimo’s wine list features a variety of reasonably priced Australian wines, together with some Italian offerings, including our selection, the full bodied and flavourful Nero D'Avola from Sicily.
To cap off a lovely evening, we fought over a delicious Sicilian apricot tart with Pecan ice cream. Remind me to order my own dessert when we return!
Review
by Reviewed by Nathaniel Stockley, 3008 Docklands Magazine, June 09 Issue
Bellissimo
offers a varied feast that ensures within minutes your table
will be groaning with dishes. The trattoria style of Italian
hospitality is the inspiration for the cheerful décor, comprising
chequered table cloths and a marble bar, and the menu which
offers a wide variety of entrees, pasta, mains and desserts.
The
dishes vary from some both familiar and traditional whilst others
are inspired from different regions in Italy, with peasant-style
ingredients, herbs and some dishes with chilli. The service
is attentive, with staff happy to make suggestions for food
and beverage choices from the wine menu, which carries both
Australian and Italian selections.
The
Zuppa de Mare con Tartuffo ($17.50) is a delicious combination
of fresh seafood poached in a saffron broth, finished with an
exotic touch of wine truffle oil. For main, an Italian winter
staple - Osso Bucco ($28.50) - was very tender and came with
a rich sauce and gremolata, which was easily soaked up with
the accompanying saffron rice cake.
An
item on the dessert list which should not be passed by is the
Pumpkin Pudding. ($16.00) with poached fruit and ice cream.
An unusual addition to the menu, it does not disappoint. Moist,
with the fruit providing sweet bites of flavour to offset the
pumpkin sponge and a light syrup, it was the perfect way to
finish a meal - molto bello! Review by 3008 Docklands Magazine Issue
16, September 2007
Review
by Where Magazine
September
07
There
are many words in the Italian language that express joy and
exuberance. Bellissimo is certainly one of them. The word means
not just 'beautiful' but 'very beautiful' and Italians use it
in a way that also expresses a certain 'joie de vivre'. It is
easy to apply to this restaurant that has wonderful views of
the city skyline from it's waterfront vantage at Waterfront
City.
Bellissimo brings fun back to the Italian dining experience
with it's red and white checked tablecloths and a piano accordionist
that plays tradiional and classic Italian tunes on Tuesday,
Friday and Saturday nights.
The Trattoria style menu includes many favorites with an extensive
selection of primi piatte/entrees and piatti principali/mains.
The pasta, risotti, meat and seafood dishes are all appetising.
The Italian wines are complimentary and very reasonably priced.
An outstanding white wine to be enjoyed is the 2005 Arneis Blange
Bianco Piemonte. It's also good to see a selection of Gluten
free and vegetarian dishes throughout the menu.
Some of the stand out dishes included on the menu are the Zuppa
de Mare con Tartuffo, The Bellissimo Antipasti Platter, Linguine
Pescatora and Vitello Saltimbocco and then for dessert, Zuccotto
which is a terrine of liqueur soaked sponge, mascarpone and
fruit served with blood orange sorbet. Bellissimo!
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Comments & Feedback |
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I and my fiancee would like to pass on our thanks to Mario and all the staff at Bellissimo. We had our engagement party there and from the first day to the very night of the party, Mario was very helpful and delivered what he promissed. I can guarantee you that everyone of my guests who i have spoken with will definitley be coming back as the food and atmosphere was fantastic. I will definitely be recommending Bellissimo to all of my family and friends. Once again a special mention to Mario who was supberb - Mario Ravi-Pinto and Veronica Cerratti
Last Saturday evening some friends of ours who live in Melbourne took us to your restaurant. We were over for the football from Adelaide. The food was great and a good night was had by all. However I felt I must comment on one of your waiters, a young man named Darren. It was a very busy night but the service he showed us was something special. He was attending to other tables as well but always checked on how our food was going, drinks etc. He is a credit to your establishment. - M. Ayton
Bellissimo was really bellissimo. Everyone must try the chocolate tart, it was fantastic. All the food was great and really friendly staff. I can't wait to get back there. - L. Ferraro
This is simply a note of thanks to Bellissimo & in particular Vince for his hospitality. My wife Denise & myself have now twice dined at your restaurant on the Docklands Waterfront. Both occasions have been fantastic. The food is magnificent & the piano accordion makes for a great atmosphere. We had a business partner over from New York who loved the place. Please pass on out thanks to every one. We will definately suggest all our contacts to visit Bellissimo's. - G. Warfe
Love the food and service, have highly recommended. Have made bookings for work meetings. - P. Miranda
By far the best Italian restaurant i have been to! My friends and i had a wonderful time, and the food was fantastic. We were all still talking about it a few days later. Keep up with the great food and service, will definitely recommend. And yes, we will be back! - Michelle
Thank you, we had a lovely meal, loved the music, very friendly and attentive waiter - S. Muir
Great food and children made to feel very welcome! - A Olivier
The chicken parmigiana was one of th best for a long while, (I order lots of these at various venues) - G. Collins
Very friendly and comfortable atmosphere. Nice food, nice wine, good music! - M. Eldridge
Piano accordianist excellent atmosphere. Somehow everything seemed perfect for all. Compliments to the chefs - M. Webster
The restaurant was very busy, but we were looked after quickly and cheerfully. Service was remakably prompt and food was delicious - W. MacKay
Great staff, food and atmosphere - A. Barrie
The atmosphere was good, the staff were friendly and the food was great - R. Bonaddio
Made children very welcome - G. Cockram
Fantastic staff. Grealty enjoyable night.
It was the best pizza we have ever had in our whole life - G. Lenehan
Pizza was amazing & the gnocchi - P. & A. Athinis
Great atmosphere, great music, great food, great service, GREAT PLACE - N. Pepping
Fabulous. We love it - Angelna
Detailed explanation of chef's special. Quality food. Highly recommended. Compliments to the chef - S. Buoy
The dining experience was made thru good food, service and most definitely the music. Thank you!! - S. & J. Borkent
Your waiting staff was excellent. Excellent service - D. McCord
I really enjoyed my experience at Bellissimo and will be back for more.- D. Ribero
Absolutely fantastic. Server was the best I've had to date - B. Nicoll
Overall a great restaurant. Fantastic staff and food C. Gohr
Felt so warm and welcome coming here. Totally unexpected - K. Philippzig
Gnocchi and lasagne the best we have had - J. Rowlands
Great service, very friendly. Nice establishment, really yummy food - S. Mazur
Excellent service, brilliant food, great price! Thanks. - T. Michalczdk
Great atmosphere - we both commented how unAustralian it felt here - i.e. it has a wonderful touch of Europe (loved the music too) - J. Young
Excellent, relaxed atmosphere, great food. - I. Williams
Excellent meal and lovely service with children considered - P. Bailey
I have had many meals all over the world in some of the finest restaurants and this has impressed me, the food was outstanding. Thank you for a lovely meal. I will recommend this to everyone I know. - S. Jones
From beginning to end a very pleasant evening. Food - suprising, interesting, delicious. Dessert - Tirimisu and cassata. Georgous. - N. Maccarrone
Absolutely great. Nice staff and top food. - K. Lockett
The piano accordian is a nice touch and adds to the atmosphere
Beautiful meal! - G. Johnson
The eye fillet was beautiful. Our waitress was very very polite and knowledgable. - J. Scaffich
Food was excellent. Service was excellent. Will recommend to family and friends - F. Romeo
Thank you, we had a lovely meal, loved the music, very friendly and attentive waiter - S. Muir
Excellent music! And pizza - L. Napoleone
It was delicious - a good experience - B. Stock
Delicious food. Lovel atmosphere. Great staff - Sandra
Tasty food and tender Osso Bucco! - V. Ruberto
Very pleasant experience. Good family environment - R. & S. Paino
Our waitress was really friendly. Good work.
Good food @ resonable prices - S. McNamara
Great cheese platter and perfecr steak. Awesome service by David! - J. Carroll
Great food, excellent service - D. Sullivan
Great service, thank you - H. Graham
Excellent! - A. Long
Great atmosphere, very welcome, very authentic.
Best lasgane and parmigiana we have eaten in a great atmosphere - B & L Engelsman
The best outside of Europe.
Simply the best entrée/main combination I have had! - P. Hallinan
Lovely gnocci!! Thank you David and staff for a great night - R. Madaffari
The live music was great and we loved it. Great staff!!. Thank you, it was a lovely meal. - J. Chutsh
The staff was very pleasant. Made us feel very welcome - J. Farrugia
Very friendy, curteous and friendly service - L. Eden
Very friendly waitress and helpful. Great atmosphere ie music. - K. Jones
Great service. Fantastico.
Don't change anything!
Thank you for a beautiful meal. Wonderful service Annie!!
The restaurant was a beautiful atmosphere, absolutely beautiful food, waitress and music. We will be recommending your restaurant. The truly best place we have been, Melbourne and Perth. - D. Anderson
A wonderful night - great atmosphere, service and entertainment - K. Kelly
Really enjoyed our meals. Service was great - T. Burns
We had a lovely expreience and our 2 year old was well looked after - B. Jennings
We had a splendid time. We will be back for sure! - Sharon and Ianda
Lovely food and lovely staff. Thank you! - F. Tragomalas
Wonderful service, great food!!
Great food & service - M. Salmon
The service was amazing!! Very efficient, extremely friendly. Loved it!! Food was fab too! - R. & S. Gallo
Very friendly staff , great food. - J. Buttigielt
Fantastic as usual - N. Guarino & L. Giannos
Music and ambience was fantastic - meal was AMAZING quality and taste, love the table cloths. We will visit again! - C. Brady
Overall, excellent food and service would definitely recommend!!! Thank you! - E. Keskesindis
Our waiter was fantastic, very friendly and made us feel welcome - N. Gordon & B. Coulson
Accordian player is fantastic. A Bellissimo and a spunk. I will recommend you to my friends. Ciao. - J. Heath
Loved the food, loved the service. Overall loved it! Thanks. - L. Murphy
The accordian player was most enjoyable. Lovely! - S. Morabito
Treated special needs group with heaps of respect and understanding. Well done. - J. Rice
Great, friendly service and delicious food. Bellissimo!!! - E. Despoovski
Best Italian Restaurant Ever. Charming staff, superb food. - F. and L. Cook
Thank you for a lovely evening. Even when made booking Mario was friendly over the phone!!! - S. Chiaravalloti
The accordianist was terrific and added to the atmosphere. I loved him! - J. Mace
The service and food was excellent and the staff were very friendly and efficient - provided excellent service - D. Nelson, Belmont
Nice environment, pleasant staff, good food - R. Pike, Moonee Ponds
A very pleasant dining experience - T. Sinadinos
The music was a nice touch - D. Gpuen
Friendly staff, helpful, great music - M. Wills, Gisborne
Our compliments for a very fine meal - G. Quercigrossi, Bass Hill
We will return. Good service, good food, very enjoyable - J. Williams, East Keilor
The food is beautiful and the service is excellent!! - R. Mizzi
Extremely friendly, would recommend - K. Mannix
Found the food excellent and the service superior. - David
My name is Joe i come often to your restaurant because of your food is fantastic. I bought family over from Italy and they were amazed how great your food was. The name says it all, well done you guys are perfect. - Joe
I
visited Bellissimo last night with my boyfriend. From beginning
to end, we were attended to and felt right a home! Our waiter,
Roberto was full of laughs and in no way intimidating. A very
welcoming restaurant and such lovely artworks!
The
most important part... the food was absolutely amazing! Myself,
a huge fan of gnocchi (and struggle to find a restaurant that
doesn\'t cook it mushy) , was so impressed with the unique taste
that this restaurant brings to the best traditional dishes!
We
walked away to enjoy the rest of the night...
Thankyou
for making our night complete!!
- Caterina
Our
evening at Bellissimo Restaurant was beautiful. The food was fresh,
well presented and delicious. The staff were friendly and attentive.
It was a great night and I would highly recommended it. -
Dominique
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