Centonove - Kew - review

Name: Centonove
109 Cotham Rd
Kew 3101 VIC

Phone: (03) 9817 6468

Food: Italian, ModOz
Average price: Entree: $18-24, Mains: $29-42, Dessert: $13-14

Complimentary: Bread with olive oil.

We ordered: Mother's Day 3course menu for $45 each. Thanks to Blogger deleting almost all of my drafts, I have to go by memory as I no longer my original notes.


Entree: Cauliflower soup

Smooth, creamy soup with a slight sweetness and subtle cauliflower taste. It was a lovely soup.

Beetroot salad

Madame A: My entree Baby beets with blue vein cheese and walnuts was delicious. I loved the delicate sweetness of the baby beets being paired with the tangy piquant flavor of the blue vein cheese. The 'crunchiness' of freshly light roasted walnuts brought the dish together adding a subtle roasted flavor to blend with the sweet and tang. It was a little on the 'scarce' side.

Beef carpaccio salad

My Nanna loved this. She said it had just the right amount of meat.

Main: Onion jam & taleggio risotto

It had a great balance between the jammy sweetness of the onion and the saltiness of the cheese. The rice was cooked well and I enjoyed it as a dish.

Swordfish

Madame A: My main meal of grilled swordfish with green peppercorns on radiccio salad was also delicious. The swordfish was a respectable portion and was perfectly cooked, slightly moist, bursting with freshness and flavor and perfectly complimented by the green peppercorns that were not overly 'peppery' in flavor which was nice. I was pleasantly surprised with the warm radiccio salad. It was lightly tossed in fish broth which added to the overall flavour.

Veal

Nanna loved this also.

Side: Garlic & rosemary roasted potatoes - $9

The potatoes had that perfect texture of crunchy outer and soft fluffy center. Whilst I loved the aromatic rosemary and caramelised garlic I felt the potatoes were just slightly oversalted.

Dessert: Yoghurt pannacotta with rhubarb

I'm not normally a fan of pannacotta but this one had the perfect amount of firmness and wobble. It was creamy and slightly tangy and paired well with the tartly sweet rhubarb, delicate but satisfying.

Madame A: it was delicious. Light and well set and a perfectly balanced flavour, not too sweet, not too sharp.

Cost: $144 - for three Mother's Day Menus and 1 side dish.

Service: OK - there was a long wait in between meals, it took 1.5hours to get the three dishes. We were also served out tea and coffee 10mins before desserts came out which I thought was odd.

Atmosphere: Chilled but classy. The decor is dark, modern and elegant with a large chandelier, marble topped bar and pieces of marble in the red concrete floor. The lower level is cramped compared to upstairs which is filled with light from the large windows, the tables are also spaced decently apart.


Parking: Ample - there is decent street parking.

Website: http://www.centonove.com.au/centonove.htm

Hours: Tue-Sat 11am-3pm, 6pm-10pm

Would I return: Yes. Nanna has declared this her favourite restaurant.

Madame A: The setting, the seating, the ambiance, the service, the timing of serving the meals was all faultless. 5* I would absolutely go back and highly recommend it. Loved it!

Centonove - Kew - review

Name: Centonove
109 Cotham Rd
Kew 3101 VIC

Phone: (03) 9817 6468

Food: Italian, ModOz
Average price: Entree: $18-24, Mains: $29-42, Dessert: $13-14

Complimentary: Bread with marinated assorted olives.

We ordered:

Entrée: Antipasti - $22

A rather good antipasti, Mr.M particularly, and surprisingly liked the ceviche.

Heirloom tomatoes, oregano, tarragon, goats curd - $18

Simple but packed full of flavour, I enjoyed every mouthful, especially with the assortment of herbs.

Potato gnocchi, sage, brown butter and truffled pecorino - $30

Whilst the overall flavours were nice, I felt that the dish was overall, a touch 'soggy', especially the sage which wasn't crisp.

Suckling pig with parsnip, radicchio and shallot jam and mustard fruit jus - $38

Chocolate parfait, sour cherry and pistachio financier, cherry ice cream - $14.5

I have to admit that when I first read the dessert menu I wasn't particularity excited by anything as I am not much of an ice-cream fan. I soon changed my mind once I tasted this dish. The chocolate parfait, although I wouldn't really call it a parfait, was delicious, and when paired with the moorish financier complete with a sour cherry tang, and the delicious cherry ice cream, this dish was a winner. It was a fantastic combination of chocolate and cherry.

Passionfruit semi freddo, coconut sorbet and pineapple salad - $14.5

Once again this dish didn't sound exciting to me, but the flavour combination spoke for itself. A classic tropical medley with tartness, creaminess, and a hint of sweetness was a very refreshing and light dessert.

Cost: $137 - for two entrees, two mains, and two desserts. 

Service: Great. Food arrived quickly and our water was kept topped up.

Atmosphere: Chilled but classy. The decor is dark, modern and elegant with a large chandelier, marble topped bar and pieces of marble in the red concrete floor. The lower level is cramped compared to upstairs which is filled with light from the large windows, the tables are also spaced decently apart.

Parking: Ample - there is decent street parking.

Website: http://www.centonove.com.au/centonove.htm

Hours: Tue-Sat 11am-3pm, 6pm-10pm

Would I return: Yes.

Centonove - Kew

Name: Centonove
109 Cotham Rd
Kew 3101 VIC

Phone: (03) 9817 6468

Food: Italian
Average price: Entree: $18-22, Mains: $29-36, Dessert: $13-14

Complimentary: Bread with olive oil and marinated olives.


The bread was nice and spongy whilst the oil was light. The olives were marinated in lemon, chilli, oregano and oil.


We ordered dinner:

Entree: Bruschetta with broad bean puree and 24 month old Parma Prosciutto - $18


Ryan enjoyed this. Great balance of flavours.

Pizza with confit potato, Asiago fondue and black truffle - $18


The base was that perfect balance between crispy and fluffy. The potato was as tender as it could be with a delightful, thin cheesy skin. The smattering of truffle was just enough to impart that beautiful, earthy aroma. It is a huge portion for an entree and it did mean I couldn't eat much of the subsequent dishes.

Drinks: Stella Beer - $8


Mains: Parmesan and pistachio crumbed veal scallopine with Italian buffalo mozarella an lemon bread crumbs - $33

Ryan liked this - he liked the crumb coating. The meat was tender and succulent.

Pan fried fillet of snapper with kipfler potatoes and an orange, fennel and wild olive salad - $34


The snapper was overcooked and was therefore a little tough and chewy. The potatoes were also overcooked and dry, I don;t feel they went with the dish. The salad was lovely enough, fresh and zingy. In the end though this hinged on the fish being cooked well and it wasn't.

Dessert: Steamed chocolate pudding with ice cream and caramel sauce - $14


Ryan liked this but found the chocolate pudding a touch dry, had it been a little more moist he would have loved it.

Zuppa Anglaise - trifle of raspberries, raspberry sherry jelly, cream, sponge and almonds - $14


The raspberry tartness helps to cut through the lusciously thick vanilla flecked cream and sweet sponge. The raspberry jelly then comes through followed by the crunchy flaked almonds. A nice enough trifle, nothing extraordinary but nothing wrong with it.

Cost: $131 - for two entrees, two mains, two desserts, and 1 drink.

Service: Great. Food has never arrived so fast before. The water was always filled and we got our cheque seconds after we asked for it.

Atmosphere: Chilled but classy. The decor is dark, modern and elegant with a large chandelier, marble topped bar and pieces of marble in the red concrete floor. It is a little on the cramped side, especially if you have a table right next to the bar.


Parking: Ample - there is decent street parking.

Website: http://www.centonove.com.au/centonove.htm

Hours: Tue-Sat 11am-3pm, 6pm-10pm

Would I return: Maybe - for a local place it was OK.