Rustic Italian At Mariosarti Toowong

Who knew that there was a beautiful rustic Italian Restaurant hidden in Toowong?!

Mariosarti’s is right next to Toowong Village not far from Brisbane city and from the outside looks quite unassuming. Inside, you know you’ve stumbled into somewhere special.

We ordered the scamorza to start – best choice ever! You could smell the wood smoked mozzarella before you see it. The beautiful smokey flavour was just delightful and mouthwatering. The smokiness had permeated throughout the entire cheese. Be sure to pair with the lemon and the salt for that little bit extra.

We tried the Frutti di Mare, Moreton Bay bug sauteed with chilli, garlic and ginger, finished in a light creamy tomato and cognac sauce next. This came out differently to how I expected, served almost as a soup which was perfect for dipping the housemade, crusty bread in.

The Ragu (Rigatoni al Ragù di Agnello) was amazing. A stand out dish. The sauce was incredibly flavoursome. The lamb was soft and delicate, probably because it was cooked for 6-8 hours, then simmered again with root vegetables and then with the wine. I know all that because I was so impressed I made sure to ask why it was so good! The basil made for a beautiful flagrant hint and was the perfect pop of freshness with the rich sauce.

We also tried the veal (Vitello Funghi) which was a lovely, light mushroom sauce with tender meat. I’ve found at other restaurants the sauce can be somewhat overpowering but here it was creamy and flavoursome, nicely contrasted with crispy, fresh greens. It delivered on everything it said.

Finally, (with giant, happy stomachs) we tried the spaghetti con polpette. Black angus Wagyu meatballs filled with smoked white mozzarella, cooked in a Napoli sauce served with truffle infused ricotta and fresh herbs. Yup you read that right! A lovely dish and definitely one of the unique menu items.

Now, the wine list here is very impressive. We went with a lovely bottle of chainti, and I highly recommend asking the staff which wine will go with your meal. The list is extensive and I was more than happy to leave it to Kim (the owner) to make a decision for us.

Hot tip: Make sure you try Mariosarti’s house-made lemonchello! It is made the traditional way and is lovely and light with no preservatives. A very different taste to the commercial versions. It takes six weeks to soak the lemon skins and then it isn’t ready for another six weeks. It’s gooood.

Also, make sure you check out the private dining function room at the back, I was gobsmacked!! It’s like stepping into a room in Vegas. Very impressive and worth a peep!

Mariosarti Ristorante Italiano Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

*While this dining experience was complimentary, this review is true and authentic

P’Nut Street Noodles New Windsor Home

I was invited to the opening of P’Nut Street Noodle’s new store in Windsor (there’s a couple around Brisbane) however I was overseas. They were kind enough to invite me back to try their dishes when I returned and I was intrigued by the story of P’Nut that was on the invite. P’Nut as a young boy of only 6 begun helping his Grandmother in the street stall kitchen in Thailand, developing his love for authentic flavours which he wanted to share in Australia when he eventually moved here many years later. All the sauces are created in Thailand with authentic ingredients so you can be sure you will get that street food taste you know and love.

For starters we shared the mixed entree and the spicy chicken dumplings. The squid was my favourite (hard to beat usually) but the biggest surprise for me was the Tofu! Crunchy shell and especially great with the satay sauce. I may or may not have dipped one in the dumpling sauce too…

Speaking of which, the spicy chicken dumplings weren’t too spicy – don’t be afraid! You guys know how I feel about dumplings.

Next time I visit I will choose the Buddha’s steamed vegetable bowl and the dumplings – I prefer steamed to fried but it’s nice to spice it up every now and then.

I ordered the Pad C U with beef (this dish has been my favourite since my first trip to Thailand around ten years ago) and was impressed by the authenticity of the flavours and textures. Delicious.

The Laksa is next on my hit list.

My favourite part of the evening was chatting to the ever hospitable Gade. Gade (that’s her in the pic of the restaurant by the way) looked after us and afterwards came over and showed pictures of P’Nut and his family. Unfortunately P’Nut had to travel back to Thailand and wasn’t in. I would love to meet him, I bet he tells amazing stories!

Images are a little red due to the giant neon logo glowing above my head!

 

P'Nut Street Noodles Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

*While this dining experience was complimentary, this review is true and authentic. 

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