Mamma's Boys - Kew East - review

Name: Mamma's Boys

Address: 647 High St
Kew East 3102 VIC
Phone: (03) 9859 0583

Food: Italian.
Average prices: Starters - $12, Entrees - $16, Mains - $25, Desserts - $12
Complimentary: Nothing.

We ordered:

Starters: Bruschetta - $6.

This was average. The bread was a little tough, the tomatoes were bland and there was no other flavour besides onion.

Whilst the eggplant was marinated nicely it too was a little tough.


Gnocchi in Romano sauce with mozzarella baked in clay pot - $22

The gnocchi, supposedly fresh, was doughy, heavy and chewy whilst the sauce was only ok and a little too much on the sweet side. There also wasn't enough mozzarella for me. I found it rather disappointing for a restaurant that prides itself on making 'mamma's food' - nothing we ate really felt like it was made 'with love'.

Twice cooked pork belly with crackle and fig and apple sauce -$36

R said this was OK.

Mixed berry brulee tart - $12.

The custard was very runny, it had the consistency of eggnog. It was also SUPER SWEET - far too sugary for me. Thankfully the berries added a sharpness to help cut through a tad. What really ruined this dish was the clumsy, extremely thick and dry pastry, not appetising to the eye or the tastebud (I had to use a nice to cut through it.)

Apple tart tatine - $12

I'm not sure how this can be considered an apple tart tatine...
It had the same thick, dry crust as mine except this one also tasted bitterly burnt. The scant apple and sultana filling was also overly sweet. R could barely eat it.

Cost: $88 for 1 starter, 2 mains and 2 desserts.

Service: Only OK this time around. The staff were ok but the food took a long time to come out. They also chose to sit everyone on the same side, so despite the restaurant only being half full, as we were all seated next to each other the noise level was quite loud.


Atmosphere: Muted. The noise level got quite loud as everyone was seated side by side. The decor is a mix of browns with food-inspired artwork on the walls and a small water feature by the window. The atmosphere was a little lacking this time around.

Parking: Ample - there is street parking, but it may get difficult to find a close-by parking later in the evening.

Website: www.mammasboys.com.au 

Hours: Mon-Sat 5pm-11pm

Would I return: No.

Mamma's Boys - Kew East

Name: Mamma's Boys

Address: 647 High St
Kew East 3102 VIC
Phone: (03) 9859 0583

Food: Italian.
Average prices: Starters - $12, Entrees - $16, Mains - $25, Desserts - $12
Complimentary: Nothing.


We ordered:

Starters: Bruschetta 'Due- Due' pomodoro and ai funghi - $12


The serving size for a starter was extremely generous, so large in fact we only ate half so as to save room for the rest of the meals. The bruschetta was lovely, th bread was fresh and perfectly chargrilled. I loved the mushroom with lovely hints of garlic and pesto. The tomato was as you would expect a tomato bruschetta to be.

Crochetti di rosa - $12


Assorted crochetti of eggplant, rice and potato accompanied with a Romana sauce. I absolutely loved these. The potato was soft, smooth and perfectly cheesy with the right amount of outer crunch. The eggplant was also perfect and tasty. I didn't like the rice as much probably because I preferred the smooth texture of the other two. They were served with a creamy semi dried tomato (?) sauce which added a great flavour and complimented them well.

Mains: Marco pollo - $26


Pan fried chicken medallions, sauteed in a cream sauce with mushrooms, semi dried tomatoes, pine nuts and spinach, served on seasonal vegetables. Ryan loved this dish - he said it had the perfect amount of flavours and textures to make it interesting and enjoyable.

Spinach & ricotta cannelloni (entree serve) - $16


I downsized my order on the suggestion of the chef, which I think was a smart idea as this is also a huge serving. I was a little disappointed I must say as it was very watery which washed out the flavour - it also tasted like it was frozen and reheated. It was alright, but nothing special.

Desserts: Panetonne Trifle - $12


Panetonne soaked in sugar Whiskey, layered with marinated figs and pastry cream. The range of desserts was a little boring and this seemed the most interesting. But I was also disappointed with this dish. First of all it didn't taste freshly made (my partner asked and it had been made the night before). The pastry cream had a rubbery skin and the texture of a thick mascarpone. The bread tasted stale and it just didn't meld well in your mouth as it was quite dry. We hardly ate it. The waitress asked us for feedback as their menu was newly redesigned.

Cost: $ 78 - 2 starters, 2 mains, 1 dessert.

Service: Fantastic. The waiters were super friendly and accommodating. We wanted our courses to come out consecutively but after watching us eat our starter they suggested we perhaps wait a little longer so we weren't as full, which was wise. Really great service.

Atmosphere: Good. We went at 6:30pm on a Friday so there were only two other tables full. The downstairs area is quite small but there is enough space between tables that you don't feel the need to whisper.


Parking: Ample - there is street parking, but it may get difficult to find a close-by parking later in the evening.
Website: www.mammasboys.com.au 

Hours: Mon-Sat 5pm-11pm

Would I return: Yes.