5 RCA-winning Venues to Say Grazie to Italian Fare with Flair

As we continue on our delicious drive around the country discovering the plethora of Readers’ Choice Award-winning venues, let’s take a look at those restaurants leading the charge in serving up Italian fare with flair, just like Nonna makes.

Here are five to put on your map for a delicioso Italian culinary adventure:

Find a little slice of Italy at Osteria A Mano on Pacific Highway, without leaving Wyong. From the country of pasta and prosciutto come traditional family recipes bringing guests a dining experience boasting the flavours from all corners of Italy, in earthy surrounds of colourful wall murals, wooden table settings and wine bottles covered with candle wax. 

 

Delve into starters like salt and pepper calamari and prawns, before perfect pasta plates of tagliatelle with osso buco sauce, or pumpkin and ricotta ravioli; for the main think choices like pork fillet with pecorino sauce and polenta, or Angus beef with rocket salad, vegetables and a side of baked potato.

Perched atop Rambutan boutique hotel on Flinders Street with sweeping views across Ross Creek and the marina, Armati's Restaurant is one of Townsville's most iconic dining destinations. Chill out on the balcony and enjoy balmy breezes, or dine indoors where hanging greenery and wicker chairs set a relaxing vibe for enjoying all things North Queensland.

 

Be mesmerised by the sight of Chefs in full flight slinging pizzas into the wood-fired oven, the centrepiece of the dining room; or choose from à la carte options like crispy pork belly, cooked in apple cider, with creamy mashed potato, baby broccolini, apple and pear compote and red wine jus.

Fronting Yarra Street with easy confidence is Geelong’s Centra Hotel, an all-in-one dining destination for Italian-style cuisine. Bedecked in elements resonating with a modern public drinking house, Centra has walls of exposed red brick radiating warmth and a touch of rusticity, while opposing walls are crisp white for a spacious, clean and airy feel that encourages visitors to dine, laugh and relax with ease.

 

A passionate kitchen team maintains close connections with growers and suppliers, ensuring the Italian menu stays seasonal, paired with wine, craft beer and cider. Opt to satisfy ravenous hunger with the likes of duck and porcini agnolotti, with brown butter sage sauce, pickled endive, red wine jus and sweet Prosecco pears.

For authentic Italian run by Canberra stalwart Carlo Tosolini, look no further than Molto Italian at the Kingston Foreshore. This seaside trattoria boasts modern interiors of high ceilings, dark wooden table settings and an open kitchen and bar, alongside a wood-fired pizza oven.

 

Best enjoyed with family and friends, Molto’s menu reads like a romance where hand-cut pasta and extensive stuzzichini choices beckon to be shared. Delve into the likes of wood-fired prawns, olive oil, garlic, chilli and lemon to start, before twirling your fork around pappardelle with slow-cooked beef cheek ragu, pancetta and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Espousing a paddock-to-plate philosophy in Seymour is The Winery Kitchen. Located only an hour from Melbourne and tucked into Seymour’s picturesque Somerset Crossing Vineyard, this family-run restaurant, winery and farm has quickly become a gourmet destination, attracting foodies from all over.

 

A wood-fired oven, tiled bar and wooden canteen-style chairs add to the pastoral charm, while a vine-covered alfresco area is an ideal spot to enjoy a Mediterranean-inspired meal in the sun. Perhaps enjoy pasta specials such as macaroni with Napoli sauce, guanciale, pecorino, onion and chilli, or pick up a slice of salami pizza with pesto, olives, San Marzano tomato and mozzarella.