Squisito

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My score: 4/5

1 Theatre Place, Canterbury, 9888 6662

It’s Friday lunch, holidays are on the horizon and the Canterbury ladies have one question: “May I have another prosecco?” Well, of course they can, because they’re at Squisito, where saying ‘yes’ is an automatic reflex, and one of many indications of the hospitable spirit that pervades this happy little restaurant. Service is chirpy and willing, the food tastes good and is presented with flair, and care is evident in everything from the frisky wine list to the well-swept seating area in the plaza out the front.

Squisito’s broadly Mediterranean menu will not surprise. It includes meatballs in sugo, garlic prawns, lamb cutlets and steak with red wine jus. But I was surprised –pleasantly – by the quality of each dish, within its unfrightening constrictions. Spanish-style octopus was succulent, touched by thyme and garlic, and full of sea-salty flavour. On-trend eaters of brioche sliders and salted caramel pops may splutter mockingly but I loved my pesto-stuffed almond-crumbed chicken breast too. It was plump and moist and the pesto stuffing (‘hand-muddled’ to boot!) gave the milder flavours some herby thrust and parry. The beef salad featured premium steak, touched by the grill, gently chiacked by chilli, in a sesame dressing and tangle of fresh leaves. The raspberry cheesecake unashamedly pushed buttons: biscuity crunch, creamy filling, a juicy puce topping and fancy chocolate work. Possibly the extra prosecco was simply to celebrate a dessert well done.

Whether you’re here for lunch with the girls, a drink and a nibble at happy hour, a romantic dinner, or a gently raucous celebration in the function room, owner Mario Laus and chef Tong Li will do their darnedest to make your visit enjoyable. If you want a meal that makes you think, go elsewhere. If you want a meal that makes you think, “Gee, what a good meal,” then Squisito has it covered.

See their website.

More Mediterranean:

A La Grecque, 60 Great Ocean Road, Aireys Inlet, 5289 6922.
December? I’m thinking oceans and seafood and that might just add up to A La Grecque, a plate of calamari with almond skordalia, some flathead with asparagus and views all the way to the horizon.

Epocha, 49 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, 9036 4949.
Sink into this grand Victorian terrace for a rootsy tour of Europe. December dishes include a room temperature bouillabaisse, smoked corn spaetzle and a spin on Eton Mess with fig-leaf mousse and gooseberries.

Vasko, 111 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe, 9499 8111.
Vasko is all about simple Balkan food served with pride in a bustling family-friendly environment. Popular dishes include the mixed grill and seafood spaghettini. Ask about functions, including Christmas lunch.

First published in The Age, December 7, 2014.