Centonove

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109 Cotham Road, Kew, 9817 6468

My score: 3.5/5

Sometimes when I witness other restaurant customers greeted as regulars, swiftly despatched ‘the usual’, kissed as they leave with a ‘see you soon’, it makes me feel chilly and jealous. But at Centonove, it only makes me want to come back and get my kiss and ‘ciao bella’ too. That’s because there’s love left over for those of us who don’t have a regular table and it’s also because I really like the food.

Centonove has been a warm beacon on its lonely corner in Kew for 15 years, the last 12 in the hands of Jesse Davidson, a restaurateur who doesn’t quite have chianti running through his veins, but who has embraced Italian food and wine with the fervour of a convert. He’s just back from one of many trips to Italy, this time with his chef Patrick Fletcher, another non-Italian who trained at Centonove and continued his trajectory at Cecconi’s. The pair ate their way around northern Italy (and blogged about it at centonove109.com) with a stoicism – “okay, more vino, if I must” – which can only be admired.

Their adventures have fed into the wine list and the current menu, anchoring some dishes more firmly in their regions, stripping out extraneous elements in others. They ate rabbit a bit and that’s celebrated in a satisfying rabbit dish, braised in white wine, falling from the bone into a tasty jus. It’s easy to wreck rabbit – this dish does its bit to balance the ledger. Similarly sustaining is the chilli-spiked pork rib ragu clinging to housemade tagliatelle. Antipasto platters often feel offhand but here the selection of the day is presented proudly on a pedestal. My assortment included a tender example of vitello tonnato (poached veal with tuna mayonnaise), top shelf prosciutto with house-pickled cauliflower, and bresaola (dried beef) with shaved parmesan. A stack of bocconcini, tomato and basil was the centrepiece. Tomatoes aren’t great at this time of year but that only served to highlight the milky smooth cheese.

The service team includes a few young Italians, who add slinky swagger along with their swoony accents. But the X factor isn’t just thanks to them: it’s the swarms of regulars having fun, the top-down sense of professionalism and care, and the fact that everything is imbued with joy. Battle those happy regulars for a table and see for yourself.

See their website.

More great antipasto:

Os Kitchen and Wine Bar, 531 Hampton Street, Hampton, 9533 1922
The food here has gone from strength to strength and the antipasto platter includes great morsels like chorizo arancini and crisp housemade grissini.

Tea Rooms of Yarck, 6585 Maroondah Highway, Yarck, 5773 4233
An easy two hours from Melbourne is a highway pitstop that’s hard to leave. Take the ‘feed-me’ option and start your banquet with antipasti such as eggplant parmigiana and soft-shell crab.

Zia Rina’s Cucina, 857 High Street, Armadale, 9500 2014
At this cosy set menu restaurant, all dinners start with antipasto platters. You might be served dried black olives, fried school prawns and sweet roasted peppers.

First published in The Age, June 16, 2013