Who doesn’t love fresh pasta? Whether it’s long, short, flat, curly or filled, each mouthful equals happiness. Pentolina has recently opened up on Collins Street and they make their pasta fresh every day. They pair their wonderful pasta with quality ingredients and do all of the traditional classics you know and love. They also have some great starters, desserts and wine to match. If you’re feeling like some quality comfort food I suggest you ditch that packet pasta in the pantry and trade it in for a night out with fresh pasta at Pentolina.
We got to see the pasta being made. It’s made fresh every morning.
Antipasto is the perfect starter and they do a good board of meats, olives, breads etc.
Oysters with a shallot vinegarette.
The arancini had a nice crunch and was good with a side of negroni.
The calamari was grilled and was nice and tender and had a slice of lemon on the side which was all it needed.
Spaghetti cacio e pepe (cheese & pepper) is a classic, this version had a combination of pecorino romana and grana Padano, cracked pepper and the special ingredient that goes oh so well with cheese and pepper, truffle. The magical word that makes most things so much better. We were lucky enough to dine in Winter aka truffle season, so a generous amount of fresh truffle was shaved over the top. Winning.
The fettucini like all of the pasta, was cooked aldente, perfection. The fettucini was thin and flat, such a good texture. This was the 'fettucini Pentolina' which had big juicy prawns and scallops in a light sauce of saffron, cream and brandy topped with salmon roe.
The caprese salad looked beautiful with the vibrant red (tomato), white (mozzarella) and green (basil) colours. The combination of these three ingredients is always a pleasure. This was a delicious and refreshing side, my kind of salad.
The rigatoni amatriciana was a stand-out dish for me. Usually when I think of fresh pasta I think of pappardelle or fettucini but this tubular pasta had the perfect thickness and had an amazing chew to it. The pasta itself was marvellous and then it was paired with some of my faves like olives, pancetta, and fresh chilli in a Napoli sauce. I was smiling from ear to ear.
The cannoli shells were amazing. These were your traditional cannoli (the best kind) filled with creamy ricotta a few raisins and a lovely orange zest.
The tiramisu was modernised but still utterly delicious. The cake came in a glass layered with sponge and mascarpone, then there was an espresso on the side with kahlua which you pour over the cake and then eat it. It was delish.
I heart Pentolina!
Olives x
Pentolina
Address: 2/377 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Website: https://www.pentolina.com.au
Phone: (03) 9606 0642
Trading: Mon: 11am-3pm, Tue-Sat: 11am-10pm
