Matteo's - Fitzroy - Raymond Capaldi- British

Name: Matteo's

Address: 533 Brunswick St
Fitzroy 3068 VIC
Phone: (03) 9481 1177

Food: ModOz, European, Asian (British for tonight only)
Average price: Entree: $15-$20, Mains: $32-$39, Dessert: $16
Degustation menu: 7 courses, $85
Set menu: 3 courses, $78

We enjoyed ourselves so much the last time that we couldn't resist coming back for the second round of the Extended European Vacation with Raymond Capaldi - tonight's theme was British.

I need to add that at the moment I have an irritable tummy so the past few days I have not eaten much and what I have eaten has caused me pain, however I just could not miss out on tonight so I tried my best to eat as much as I could.

Complimentary: Bread with butter.


The bread was soft and the butter was soft enough to spread, we also got some sea salt to sprinkle on top.

We were also unexpectedly given 2 complentary sides which was a real treat.

Sides: 'Colcannon' - potato puree with braised Savoy cabbage & spring onions -$8


Super yummy - smooth but not gluey with salty, sweet cabbage and sharp spring onions - I could eat a whole bowl.

Buttered carrot fingers -$8


Cooked to perfection, soft but still crunchy with a slight sweetness. Ryan normally hates carrots but loved these.

We ordered the 3 course set menu ($60 pp - I had vegetarian one) plus 1 starters and 1 drink:

Appetiser: Whisky Scotch egg with grannies salad cream - $5


Ryan's favourite dish from the night. We were only gong to order one as the whisky scotch egg I grew up on had meat so I assumed this would too. The waiter then informed us that it in fact did not have meat and only had breadcrumbs so we ordered two. On first taste I thought I could taste meat, I couldn't see any so I asked my husband if he could also taste meat, which he said he could not so I kept on eating (it's been 15 years since I hav eaten meat so I was unsure). I should have stuck to my instincts as after I had finished I was informed that the dish did indeed have meat, which was upsetting for me.
That aside, the eggs were perfectly cooked with a slightly runny yoke. The crumbing did not fall apart and went well with the egg - what tied it together for me was the salad cream - sharp, bitey and creamy - like a tangy mayonnaise with mustard.

Drink: Pimm's cup - $9


Ryan liked this a lot - his first Pimm's (my mother grew up on the stuff thanks to my Great Grandmother from Liverpool). This came with orange and lemon slcies, mint and a mighty long cucumnber.

Entree: Blue eye, welsh rarebit, smoked tomato


Ryan liked this, the fish was cooked extremely well and was not overpowered by the fresh tomato side.

Smoked tomato, peppered mascarpone & tomato jelly


Really beautiful, clean, complimentary flavours. The tomatoes were slightly smokey and tangy which went well with the peppery, smooth and creamy mascarpone (hubby loved the mascarpone so much that he stole some.)

Main: Steamed Angus steak & mushroom pudding, mushy peas


Ryan enjoyed this. The steak was tender and went well the mushrooms.

Bread pudding filled vegetables with pea puree


This was a little rich for me by this stage. The puree was sweet and rich in taste whilst the bread was brioche-like in its butteryness. The vegetable were finely chopped and well cooked.

Dessert: Nana Frasers' Lemon delicious 'in the tin', lemon custard


Absolutely perfect lemon pudding. Smooth and unctuous with a lemon tang. The custard is like a smooth creme brulee custard, super creamy and slightly lemony. It melts beautifully into the steaming hot lemon pudding which is topped with a lovely, chewy crust that gives way to the luscious lemon pudding which has a runnier lemon curd-like substance down the bottom. If my tummy wasn't sore I would have eaten this and licked it clean.

Cost: $139 - two three course meals, 1 appetiser, 1 drink and two complimentary sides.

Service: Great - apart from the mistake regarding the inclusion of meat in a dish there was nothing to fault. Our appetisers were out in a flash - super fast.

Atmosphere: Relaxed. The restaurant has three different sections that are joined but feel separated also. There was some colourful artwork behind us which complimented the red lampshades and large light hangings. The atmosphere was quite chilled, with minimal noise and well spaced tables. Depending on where you sit you get a different view so it always feel new.
It was a bit of a blogger fest also as Ed from Tomato was there (whom I was introduced to by Matteo) as well as Patrick from Eat almost anything and Jeff from Thermomixer (whom I did not get to meet). Would have chatted a bit if I didn't need to dash home on account of being unwell.


Parking: Ample. We went on a Tuesday night at 7pm, there was plenty of unlimited parking right in front of the restaurant.

Website: http://www.matteos.com.au/

Hours: Sun-Fri noon-3pm, daily 6pm-10pm

Would I return: Yes - to yet another Raymond Capaldi evening held at this restaurant.