ESTIVO

330 High St, Kew - phone: (03) 9853 1727

I've been meaning to go to this restaurant for a while. It just got a chef's hat according to The Age's 'Good Food Guide' and some friends have also recommended it

So the hubby organised a surprise dinner and took me there last Friday night.

We were happy with the place from the start. The decor was beautiful, nice flower arrangements, the right amount of light; great atmosphere.

Service was also very good throughout our meal. The waiter recommended the entree special: lightly battered oysters with wasabi mayo served on a bed to tuna carpaccio.

Oysters with wasabi mayo and tuna carpaccio

The texture of the oysters was amazing and, although I generally prefer raw oysters, these were perfectly cooked. Tuna carpaccio was extremely thin and the mayo was really nice and enhanced the flavour of the dish. It was definitely a good start for our meal.

For main, my husband ordered their 'duck two ways' consisting of a duck magre (breast) and leg confit ($37) served in a caramelised onion tart. He also had a truffle oil infused potato pure as a side, which was the highlight of his meal. Of course, I also tried all of it. In one word: delicious!

Braised duck breast and confit leg

My main was also duck - the night's special duck and portobelo mushroom risotto ($25). I didn't really love this one as much as my entree. The rice was very well cooked, beautiful chucks of duck throughout but, to my taste, a bit blend. It tasted better once I added some fresh cracked pepper to it.

Duck and mushroom risotto

We were pretty full after that and didn't find anything that enticing in the desert menu, so decided to go just a short black instead.

As a good Italian restaurant, their coffee was delicious and came with a couple of chocolate coated coffee beans - eating something sweet is always a good way to end a meal.

In sum, we had a great night out, with friendly service and a reasonable price ($50 a head with a glass of wine each). Estivo is a place that I would definitely recommend for a romantic dinner - even better when you're being surprised by your loved one!