tubbymasu.com

Antipasto platter

I first encountered Benito’s a couple of years ago after emerging from a fun, girly dinner at Bistro Vue.* As I headed down the laneway with my friend Larrabee, I shoved my hands deeper into my coat pockets, fumbling for my car keys and an ounce of warmth.

Larrabee took my arm, leading me toward Lt Collins St. ‘There’s a little restaurant I want to look at,’ she said, nodding toward a small, unassuming café/restaurant across the road. ‘I walked past the other day. I can’t remember its name … but I think it sounds kind of fascist?’

* More about Bistro Vue another time.

Since that night, Benito’s has been one of my regular after-work staples, particularly during autumn and winter when I get acute cravings for their gutsy, flavoursome brand of food. It’s got all the ingredients for regular after-work dining:

1. Open from Monday to Friday
2. Value for money, with mains generally between $20 and $30
3. I’ve always managed able to get a table, although booking is recommended later in the week
4. It’s kind of retro, kind of relaxed, with café-style booths that encourage post-work detoxification.

Over the years, Benito’s has generally been ‘hit’ rather than ‘miss’. My first meal there was not overly memorable; I vaguely recall a small portion of snapper and a creamy mash that left me wanting more – of anything. I remember feeling let down, wanting this place to be good, but unable to raise the required enthusiasm.

I returned twice in the following two months – the second time reaching food nirvana as I feasted on the most delicious roast chicken. Upon first bite, I flew into conversational autopilot, nodding intermittently as an eccentric former workmate relayed her frustrations about her neighbour’s manic dogs. The chicken was so unexpectedly tender and flavoursome, accompanied by thickly sliced sweet potato ‘pontoons’. It left me wanting more – of what I was eating.

Gloriously thick pappardelle with duck ragu, bathed in parmesan

The menu is short but sweet – and again, probably not a good place for a vegetarian. It has an Italian bent, with a handful of pastas, a very good lasagne, and a short list of mains that are interesting and sometimes challenging. The specials are always worth considering – one highlight last winter was a rustic fish and lentil pie, the kind you can only fantasise about buying at the footy. It was scoffed in complete silence, except for the occasional, inadvertent grunt. Desserts are worth a look; the ricotta-filled tuile ‘cigar’ with strawberry was not oh-my-god delicious, but it was quite nice all the same.

Ricotta-filled tuile 'cigar' with strawberry

My last visit to Benito’s was probably more ‘miss’, thanks to service that could best be described as friendly but unattentive. It was a Friday night last month and the place was busy, so I can forgive the glacial speed of the kitchen and the slightly neglectful wait staff – especially when the latter (unnecessarily) apologised at the end of the night. He didn’t know that the antipasto platter, the pappardelle with duck ragu and the tuile were just three of many dishes I’d eaten there; although they were just quite nice, I would be definitely be back in autumn.