Il Fornaio Brunch Review - Part II @ 2 Acland Street, St Kilda

The shot I was aiming for in my first post

We returned to il Fornaio the second time, in hopes of catching the ever elusive Snickers dessert. So since we  failed to catch it the last time (due to us arriving when the kitchen closed), we decided that the next visit would be done early! Brunch early!

Breakfast/ Lunch menu

Look! A menu!! This time we had a very charming waiter, who was very pleasant and easy to talk to. Armed with magazines and the Boy's iPad, we were ready for a nice day along the beach (we did take a stroll on the very crowded beach).

We asked the waiter, "Will you have the Snickers dessert today? Now?"

Waiter, "Snickers? Of course! How many would you like? Just one? Excellent"

We placed our orders for our main meal and drinks (a caffe latte and a mocha)

The Boy decided to stick with breakfast and ordered the il Fornaio Benedict (poached eggs, smoked ham and hollandaise $ 15)

Hand rolled potato gnocchi

I decided to go with lunch and ordered the hand rolled potato gnocchi with lamb ragu, marjoram and black olives $21 (also available on the dinner menu $24)

The Boy clearly loved his eggs Benedict and only allowed me a tiny taste... and I absolutely loved the gnocchi and the lamb ragout... oh my.. that Lamb Ragout.. was AMAZING... delicious, with the flavours all working together to bind the sweet sweet gnocchi in the mouth... *sigh*

Now on to the dessert...

Wait a minute, where's the dessert?

Well....

Just before our dishes were served, a rather sheepish waiter came by our table...

"Madam, so sorry. I've just been told that the Snickers will only be ready at 3pm."

I smiled sweetly at him... and vowed to give them another chance... One more time, eh... Third time lucky?

I'll catch them, at DINNER!!!

For my previous encounter and to fully understand the irony, please read Part I.

*Disclaimer: All food ratings are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality

Food/ Cuisine: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Dessert - Australian/Contemporary

Dining Style: Cafe/ Restaurant

Overall Food Rating (Based on the Dining style): 8/10 (That ragout sealed my fate and smoothed my temper)

Restaurant ambiance: 7/10

Service/ Attitude: 6/10 (still staying the same)

Value for money: 6/10 (for $21, I was hoping the gnocchi dish would be a lot more)

Address:

2 Acland Street

St Kilda VIC 3182

Tel:(03) 9534 2922

Website:www.ilfornaio.net.au

Il Fornaio is open from

Monday - Friday 7am-11pm

Saturday & Sunday 8am - 11pm (closed from 5pm-6pm)

How to get there:

View Larger Map

il Fornaio Review - Part I @ St Kilda, 2 Acland Street

When we first heard that Phillipa Sibley had taken over il Fornaio in St Kilda, the Boy and I were ecstatic! The QUEEN of desserts had arrived in town and we were just around the corner! Minutes to her famed Snickers dessert! MINUTES! (Yes, I'm a food groupie)

The decoration adorning the wall

So one Sunday afternoon, the Boy and I took a leisurely drive and arrived about 3pm. Walked in, sat down and I eagerly looked around to see what everyone else was eating.

No one was eating any desserts of any kind. I walked up to the cake/bakery counter, and NO famed desserts. Only a few pieces of cakes, sandwiches and some quiche...

The bread and cake counter

Quite depressed, I walked back towards the seated Boy, who had kindly waited for me before putting in an order for tea and coffee (coffee apparently is a must have, since they get their stock from St. Ali)

Cane Sugar

The coffee arrived and I put in my order for the most lively looking cake behind the counter, and the Boy ordered a tea time quiche...

Coffee was good, but still only second best to Brother Baba Budan and Seven Seeds...

Caffe Latte and English Breakfast Tea

The cake arrived, and although not quite the amazing dessert I was looking forward to, it was a really good cake. Moist and full of flavour, the orange and almond was a perfect pair matched in the oven :)

Flourless Orange and Almond Cake

The Boy said that his bacon and pea (Not quite sure if it was a Lorraine), was really good. The quiche had a delicate balance of creamy and rich, which is quite often hard to find at other bakeries and cafes.

Quiche Lorraine

Although quite disappointing that we didn't quite make the try out for the dessert, the Boy and I vowed to return to try our luck again.

We weren't offered any explanations either when we asked the waitress who served us if there was a menu and where were the famed desserts. She just said, "No menu. The kitchen shuts at 3pm", and then walked away.

A bit taken aback with that answer, we did not dare to ask any more questions. We did however return the following week for breakfast...

*Disclaimer: All food ratings are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality

Food/ Cuisine: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Dessert - Australian/Contemporary
Dining Style: Cafe/ Restaurant
Overall Food Rating (Based on the Dining style): 7/10 (That cake and that quiche was amazing.. especially that cake)
Restaurant ambiance: 6/10
Service/ Attitude: 6/10
Value for money: 6/10

Address:
2 Acland Street
St Kilda VIC 3182

Tel:(03) 9534 2922

Website:www.ilfornaio.net.au

Il Fornaio is open from
Monday - Friday 7am-11pm
Saturday & Sunday 8am - 11pm (closed from 5pm-6pm)

How to get there:

View Larger Map