Pasta and Opera

By MICHELE CRAWSHAW for Viva

Before we even stepped through the door at Pasta and Opera on our first visit, it felt like we had been here many times. Friends and colleagues have been hailing this cosy Italian eatery as one of the best suburban restaurants around. So much so I was sure I could probably order without even looking at a menu. I was told not to go past the fettucine tutto mare, and if I didn't try the three-flavoured gelato icecream I was, quite simply, mad.

Six years old, Pasta and Opera has been crafted to resemble a cafe that would be at home in an Italian neighbourhood. Backstreet scenes of stairways and verandahs are painted on the walls both inside and out while recorded opera plays quietly from a sound system in the kitchen. The cafe's beginnings were small, but over the years a courtyard area has been added and now it seats around 75. Still not enough room on the weekends, though, when locals pack the place out.

The restaurant changed hands six months ago and Ian Ross is now the one welcoming diners. While his business partner Annette Beals has spent years in the hospitality industry, Ross was a mechanic until recently and had no restaurant experience.

You wouldn't know it. He's the star of this show.

As soon as we were seated he arrived at our table to light the candle and place a bowl of complimentary giant green olives before us. Mmm, things were starting off very well.

Our only mistake of the evening came early on. We ordered garlic bread while we browsed the rather extensive menu. It arrived within minutes but we could take only a couple of bites before our senses were overwhelmed with garlic. A case of ``Would you like some bread with your garlic, sir?'' A tip: give this course a miss if you're on a first date and forgot your extra strong breath mints.

Bread placed to the side, we focused on the entrees instead. My friend began with the grilled calamari ($8) marinated with lemon and, yes, garlic. It was beautifully tender and light.

My dish of grilled camembert with artichokes ($8) was superb, if overly generous - a whole round of warmed cheese stuffed with artichoke leaves and served with thin slices of french bread.

It helps to have a sense of humour when you eat here. We discovered this while ordering our main meals. When my friend asked whether the fish of the day (snapper in a red wine sauce on black fettucine, $20) was a whole fish or a fillet, Ross attempted to describe it, then decided it was better to show him instead. He rushed off to the kitchen, returning a moment later with a plate which he placed before my companion. Grinning broadly, he said: ``That's the main meal size, the entree is a little smaller.'' On the plate was a tiny chocolate fish.

Ross and his team clearly enjoy what they do - which is serve great food at very reasonable prices in an relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Unlike most Italian restaurants, you won't find pizza on the menu here. Rather the chef prefers to concentrate on a wide variety of pasta dishes - 23 at last count. One of the most impressive and popular dishes is the tutto mare (calamari, mussels, shrimp on fettucine).

We decided to try something different, though, and opted for the fettucine verdi and the spinach and ricotta canneloni (both $17.50).

My friend pronounced the canneloni rich and delicious, if a little heavy on the ricotta. My verdi was classic Italian - a sundried tomato sauce laden with artichokes and roasted garlic. (Pass another mint please.)

We followed the advice to try the gelato. We had just one quibble - the flavours (lemon curd, chocolate flake and vanilla) that arrived were different from those the waitress had told us were on the menu that evening. A very minor point as the dessert was delicious, the perfect end to a very enjoyable night.

The real test of a restaurant reviewer is whether you would go again. Er, I already have.

157 Pt Chevalier, Pt Chevalier
Ph 09 815 5519

Open: 5.30pm-late, seven nights

Owners: Ian Ross and Annette Beals

Chef: Tony Rasekh

Food: Classic Italian

Vegetarian: Wide selection of pasta options

Smoking: In the outside courtyard

Wine: Limited but adequate selection by the bottle (all $20 or $25). Just two wines available by the glass ($4.50) but both very drinkable. BYO too.

On the menu: Gnocchi with cream and gorgonzola cheese; Chicken breast with camembert, sundried tomato and roasted garlic on risotto cake; Penne with chilli pancetta

Noise: When there are no large parties dining, the atmosphere is intimate with just the quiet strains of recorded opera playing in the background.

Cost (mains for two): Around $35

Bottom line: Cosy suburban restaurant with the friendly' personal touch. Offering no fewer than 23 styles of pasta from the old favourites to the more daring Vodka penne. Make sure you book - the locals treat this place like their own.

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