South Yarra, the place where you go to shop, eat, drink and just wander around. Located smack bang in the heart of South Yarra lies a modern yet authentic Italian eatery that isn’t flash or in yo face. Italian Chef has been opened for approximately 3 years and it gets quite full so you’ll definitely need to make a booking if you want to try out this Italian eatery. We were welcomed in by the staff and was seated in the middle of the eatery. We got the drinkie which was quite popular and included negronii in a spritz and it was fresh and not too alcoholic tasting if you were not a fan of the good ol’ alcohol taste.

Now, Mr D and myself have put our orders in the hands of Giuseppe and boy did he deliver. First up, he had recommend that we get the grilled eggplant. Mr D wasn’t too impressed with this recommendation since he was an all meater kinda guy. When this dish was presented to us, again, Mr D looked at it halfheartedly. However, once his spoon entered the dish and was inside his mouth, everything changed. It was super duper amazeball! It tasted like it was a meat dish. It was perfectly cooked, it was perfectly seasoned, it was absolutely perfection. He did not complain at all and would recommend this dish.

Melanzane Parmigiana – $16
Grilled eggplant layered with Napoli sauce, mozzarella, basil and grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

The next entree we had was the puff pastry with cheese and truffle sauce. This was oh so orgasmic and I could not even start to describe how AMAZEBALL it was. The puff pastry itself, it was delicate and crumbly oh so delicately onto our plates. The sauce, if you haven’t had truffle sauce before, behold, this dish will let your taste buds have the honour of experiencing the delicate and intricate flavours that truffles hides. This was the ultimate dish and I could not fault it in any way. Definitely get this dish if you’re planning to drop by to try Italian Chef.

Sfoglia di verdure – $18
Enticing roll of homemade puff pastry filled with capsicum, onion, carrot and zucchini and finished with cheese and truffle sauce

Mr D got the pasta with chicken ragu with truffle and mushrooms. I’ve never seen anyone sway Mr D when he orders and if Giuseppe told him to get this dish, Mr D went for it. This was top notched pasta. The pasta itself was homemade and the sauce was something that I could only dream of. It was light, it was truffle-ly, it was flavoursome, it was everything we could ever ask for in a pasta dish. Definitely a recommended dish after the puff pastry if you’re into your truffles.

Maccheroncino ai funghi, pollo e tartufo – $26
Scrumptious pasta served with slow-cooked chicken ragu, truffle and mushrooms

I on the other hand was a sucker for chocolate and when I saw that the Tortelli was made out of chocolate I just had to have it. The tortelli was GINORMOUS but there wasn’t any chocolate flavour in it whatsoever. It was dark brown which was what chocolate was but the flavour, just wasn’t there. The duck itself, was awesome sauce inside but this dish didn’t compare to the pasta dish with the chicken and truffle sauce. Not exactly my all time dish but it was pretty decent as well.

Tortelli di cioccolato – $24
Housemade chocolate tortelli filled with braised duck served in a mushroom sauce with Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

Onto dessert! Mr D got the cannoli and this was lovely for him. It wasn’t uber sweet and the portions weren’t too large for him. it was perfect.

Cannoli

I decided to get their famous tiramisu since it was what they were known for. The sponge wasn’t drenched in alcohol which was a super duper plus and the cream was to die for. Definitely one of the best in Melbourne but was it the best? I can’t really say until I have ALL THE TIRAMISU (good luck on that quest Mr D).

Tiramisu

Italian Chef is an absolute gem with great quality food and service to match. Dare I say it, it is the best Italian I’ve had in a while and I’ll definitely be recommending it and will be a regular here. The owner / chef has worked at renowned Michelin starred restaurants back in Italian and with the quality of the food, you can definitely tell. Italian chef, you’ve got a big ginormous tick from me.

Disclaimer: I was honoured to be invited to dine by Italian Chef and all opinions expressed are my own.

427 Chapel Street, South Yarra, VIC 3141
Tel: (03) 9827 0048
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