Cecconi’s Flinders Lane Restaurant & Cellar Bar has re-launched with a new look but don’t worry, the same great range of rustic Italian delights are still on offer from the kitchens.
The restaurant has been made over with the help of Mollard Interiors who have created a contemporary yet Italian feel to the restaurant with shades black, white and copper with varying textures and tone to create contrast. This space has a familiar and warm feel and this is reinforced by the wall of family photos and some of the produce that is used in the restaurant displayed in black steel carriageways above the bar and open kitchen. In fact some of the produce used on the menu comes from the vegetable garden of the Bortolotto family, owners of Cecconi’s.
Cecconi’s has two dining spaces, the Cellar bar and the Restaurant. The former is open all day serving delicious delights for breakfast and a range of rustic delights for lunch and dinner. The Restaurant dining room is open for lunch and dinner with a more extensive menu. Between the two, is the open kitchen that really showcases the talents of the wonderful chefs preparing the delicious dishes on offer at Cecconi’s.
Sitting down and reading the Restaurant dining menu made me salivate at the wonderful array of dishes on offer. As a lover of Italian food, and I’ve had my fair share, the Cecconi’s menu has a myriad of dishes that transports you to Italy and stays true to the traditional flavours found in Italian food. You can select from a variety of starter or primi dishes including the delicious caramelised scallops or mushroom arancini, some delicious pastas or some amazing main dishes featuring some great Australian produce.
For this visit, I started with the Risotto with freshly shaved black truffles, parmesan and truffle oil. So often, restaurants get risotto wrong with bad consistency and blandness but this one was absolutely perfect. A rich, creamy texture and consistency with a powerful punchy truffle flavour from oil and shavings, and a bit of saltiness from the parmesan. A well balanced flavoursome dish.
Chatham Island Blue Cod with confit tomato, fennel, fried zucchini flower with aged balsamic was next on the menu. The fish had been cooked perfectly; soft and flaky, and the accompanying fried zucchini flower was fresh and light.
The twice cooked duck with sweet potato puree and lime was also a fabulous dish. The duck was well cooked, moist and soft. Combined with the sweetness of the sweet potato and a subtle hint of sourness from the lime, this dish was spectacular.
To finish I had a caramel panacotta with wild fig cake and macadamia ice cream. I had initially thought this would be overly sweet but it wasn’t. The panacotta was smooth and creamy, with a subtle caramel flavour. This worked well with the wild fig cake and macadamia ice cream!
Cecconi’s has a new face but it stays true to the flavours of its Italian heritage. A truly genuine dining experience in Melbourne.
61 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 8663 0500
(03) 8663 0500
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