Donovans - St Kilda

Name: Donovans

Address: 
 40 Jacka Bvd
St Kilda 3182 VIC

Phone: (03) 9534 8221

Food: ModOz, Italian
Average price: Entrée - $18 - 25, Main - $35 - 91, Dessert - $14-22.

Complimentary: 2 large pieces of crusty bread with butter, fava bean & garlic puree, and basil & garlic infused olive oil.

We ordered:

Entrée: Four Tastes - $21

This was a slice of beef on a horseradish, shallot and chive cream sauce. Ryan enjoyed this the most.

Salad of tomatoes

This included different varieties of tomatoes which was a nice touch.

Pumpkin, feta and sage foccacia

The flavours were spot on and classic, if a little Autumnal, however the foccacia was a little strange with a crispy bottom and sweet, dry bread.

Anchovy

Mains: Roasted tomato and Persian feta tart with caramelised onion $23.00

Overall this was lovely, with  flavoursome tomatoes on a flaky crust with salty feta and sweet onions as well as a few plump sultanas.

Sicilian-style swordfish with pesto, mint and melting onions $42.00

Half of this was overcooked, the other half perfectly cooked. The flavours complimented the wish without overwhelming it. It came with side dishes of lettuce, garlic and rosemary potatoes and a salad of snow peas, green beans and broccoli.

Desserts: Upside-down banana tart 'tatin' with nutmeg ice cream and sesame tuile $19.50

Lovely presentation with caramelised bananas, flaky pastry, unctuous caramel and creamy nutmeg icecream. Whilst it was lovely without being overly sweet I felt the ice cream overpowered the other ingredients with heady nutmeg.

Hot chocolate soufflé with espresso ice cream $19.50

The soufflé was light but also beautifully moist with a soft chocolate perfume. The espresso ice cream was a little strong for me but hubby enjoyed this dish.

Cost: $125 - for one entrée, 2 mains & 2 desserts.

Service: Good. We had to wait a while for someone to come back for our order which is surprising as I don't think I have ever seen so many waiters in one restaurant, there was always at least one walking past our table every minute. The food came out quickly though and our plates were cleared almost immediately.

Atmosphere: Like dinner with extended family. The restaurant is decorated in a Cape Cod style and feels like a dining room at home. Overall it's lovely and welcoming, but some areas are over cluttered with plates, colanders, chairs etc. Green, blue and orange are the main colour accents to the neutral, beachy tones. When full I imagine it would be quite noisy and patrons tend to be less inhibited due to the casual, home-like environment (there are even picture frames with pictures of families - perhaps the owners)

Parking: There's street parking as well as paid parking at Luna Park across the road

Website: http://www.donovanshouse.com.au/0-frameset.htm

Hours: Daily noon-4pm, 6pm-11.30pm.

Would I return: No, too pricey for what you get.