PUBLISHED September 5th, 2012 09:18 am | UPDATED June 1st, 2016 02:45 pm
Another Italian restaurant in the CBD? It certainly seems like the Italianos are slowly but surely taking over the restaurant scene in the centre of town. One of these to open this year is Pepenero on Stanley Street, a cute 40 seater.
Pepenero serves authentic Italian dishes under the guidance of Chef Marco Violano. In order to try as much as possible over a simple lunch sitting, we opted for the degustation menu and let Chef Marco surprise us….
First up was somewhat of a winning combination..just the sheer ingredients are enough to make your mouth water..The Carpaccio di Wagyu di Manzo Farcito Con Burratina di Corato, Rucola Selvatica con Funghi Misti Sottoaceto ($24) is effectively thick cut wage beef carpaccio wrapped around a lush burrata cheese..and then topped with some pickled mushrooms (including some truffle shavings)….
Mmmmmm. Served on a bed of rocket, this dish was extremely well balanced…and as you can imagine, tasted great!
Next up was a taster portion of a variation of one of my old favourites…Millefoglie di Melanzane con Mozzarella di Bufala con Salsa Pomodoro “Sammarzano” ($21) – thin sliced baked eggplant, layered with buffalo mozzarella and topped with a beautiful pomodora tomato sauce.
This is definitely a hearty dish so really not one for those on a diet…expect rich sauce and even richer flavour. Very nice overall though.
Moving on to a pasta dish, Chef served up some Carnaroli Risotto with fresh summer black truffles (part of the set lunch of the week)…
Damn it, the truffles get my every time! Why are they so good!? And if mixed with some well-cooked risotto and parmesan cheese…well..game over really. A good combination of flavours, but definitely again on the rich side – salty, truffly and oh-so-gooey.
Keep things in true Italian dining style, the final two dishes were a fish, and then meat. In this case, we were served up the Branzino Arrostito alle erbe gentili con Salsa all’ Amalfitana (a beautifully roasted seabass fillet rested on a bed of cauliflower and potato).
Unlike the other richer dishes previously, this was much, much lighter…a rather elegant and delicate serving.
And as for the meat. Here’s something you don’t see every day! The Costolette di Agnello da Latte alla Milanese con Rucoletta e Pomodoro ($38) – breaded lamb chops Milanese style, served with some cherry tomatoes and rocket…I have to admit, it rather felt like the Italian’s answer to Schnitzel….And I do love me some schnitzel!
Finishing off with a creamy cannolo strangely reminding me of a visit to Little Italy in New York some years ago, I was really quite impressed with Pepenero.
The service is good – very personable…I like it that Chef Marco takes time to come out of the kitchen when he can to mingle with guests. It’s certainly not a cheap meal, but I have no qualms over the quality of ingredients. Evidently top notch.
The cuisine at Pepenero is very good and overall provided an excellent experience. If you work in the CBD, you should definitely check this place out, their 3-Course lunch is only $35++, and for dinner their menu is simple but well-made. Totally worth a visit, and a repeat visit 🙂