GROSSI FLORENTINO'S - CELLAR BAR

80 Bourke St Melbourne
96621811

I worked in the city for 8 years and by default have spent much time at Florentino's.  I have been lucky to try both the restaurant upstairs, the grill and the cellar bar and while I would love to dine upstairs regularly, my lack of millionaire status makes this unfeasible.  But all is not lost.  The wonderful thing about Florentino's is that you can choose an area to suit your budget, yet the food quality is consistent and comes out of the same kitchen.  For this reason, the Cellar Bar located downstairs on the right is a favourite of mine, offering relatively traditional Italian favourites, at a reasonable price.

Service is brisk, the menu is reasonably short and consistent through time.  Besides being very hard to get a table during lunch times, this is one of my favourite city quick eats. 

A Melbourne institution

Lasagne

It's hard to think of a more simple/traditional Italian dish as lasagne.  While simple, it also provides very little room to hide.  The lasagne at cellar bar is simply stunning.  No bells or whistles, but each element has been refined to perfection over decades.  The pasta is made on site and has a beautiful silky texture.  The bolognese has a beautiful mince in a sauce that has enough spice to have an impact, but not so rich it overpowers the pasta sheets.  I also like that the waiter was generous with the parmesan, which is ground fresh as required.