Delfina's Bistro - Review

Once upon a time, there was a cafe that served delicious desserts any time of the day and night...Well not anymore, there's a new kid in town called Delfina's Bistro in its place.  I checked out the menu online, and one recent weekday lunchtime, Mr P. and I hot-footed it to the Valley.  We were very lucky to get a parking space as it is at a premium in the Emporium centre.  We wandered down, and easily found a table (I think we were a bit later than regular worker bees).  I am a fan of industrial decor, so I really liked the edgy-looking ceiling and lamps, though perhaps it clashed a bit with the pretty turquoise wall.

edgy decor

I was a leetle bit disappointed when perusing the actual menu, as I had been looking forward to some oysters, and confit rabbit which was on the website menu.  It seems that this is a dinner menu only, sadly for my rabbit cravings. The lunchtime menu is quite sparse, with just 3 choices in entrees, mains and desserts.  Mr P. and I both chose the same entree - smoked ocean trout salad with witlof, fennel, lemon and avocado.  This was really fresh and tasty, with crunch from the vegetables and walnuts, and acidity from the lemon. I found it almost filling enough for lunch, and the waitress clearly thought so too, as she offered us the dessert menu after the entrees.  She only looked slightly horrified when we said we were having mains too:)

smoked ocean trout salad $18

Did I mention the complimentary bowl of olives at the start of the meal?  These were delicious; so shiny and pretty too. Mr P. now tells me he no longer eats olives as he has "gone off the taste".  Huh? what happened to the memo?  So I had to try to eat them all myself - a valiant effort I think.

aren't they pretty, and so shiny? 

I might have forgotten to mention the cocktail I started with.  Eek!, you are saying- cocktails and 2 courses at lunchtime!?!  What the?!  Alright, I admit it - it was my birthday!  So I threw caution to the winds, and just went for it.  I had a drink called Dark Rendezvous, with rum and Tia Maria and condensed milk and espresso.  Oh yes, I smacked my lips and contemplated a second.

Dark Rendezvous $18

On with the mains.  I chose prawn tagliatelle with rocket, lemon, chilli, garlic and olive oil.  This was a great choice, especially as I am not fond of pasta usually.  But this was so fresh, and tasted as though it had come from a nonna's kitchen.  I did a great job of eating nearly all of it.

prawn tagliatelle $19

Mr P. loves a bit of rice in his day so he chose the chicken and corn risotto with asparagus and peas. He said some of the chicken was slightly undercooked, and the dish needed more seasoning.  But all in all, it was better than average - 3.5/5 on the Mr P. meter, quoth he.

chicken and corn risotto $17 

Well, I may have decided to be good and only have one cocktail, but I succumbed to the lure of a glass of Victorian rose with my pasta.  It was deliciously drinkable!

Rowanston pinot rose $10

We finally called a halt to the birthday pig-out, and declining dessert, (I know, such restraint) we paid the very reasonable bill and toddled off home for a nap.  Just kidding! -  in fact Mr P. went back to his drawing board so to speak, and I jumped on my laptop to scratch away at the history project I am working on.  Not a bad birthday lunch.

(FYI - Delfina's also has a private dining room, and holds special events.  Their banner declares them to be a fine dining Mod Aus restaurant with a European twist; plus hats into the ring as a tapas bar too.)