With winter in full swing and venturing out of the house a distant second thought, all you need is a little comfort food to fill your belly and complete that night in. And nothing says comfort like a little Italian. So, where do you go to get such a meal, let us introduce you to Carlucci’s Restaurant.
Nestled away in the suburban back streets of Templestowe, Carlucci’s is a local institution that has been feeding the community for the last two decades. Serving up a variety of traditional Italian classics that will remind you of what nonna used to make, to a wide selection of new favourites, not to mention a buffet of house made desserts.
On this particular day the crew at Carlucci’s was offering a deliciously tempting mulled wine for those who felt they needed a nip while they waited for their food. But if you’re like us, we had it just cause we could and it was so worth it!
Deciding to give ourselves a little extra padding for the winter ahead we chose to work our way through a little pasta, risotto, a parma – the size of small child – and we hadn’t even got to the desserts yet. From the house baked cheesecakes to the tiramisu and of course their infamous vanilla slice… no visit should be had without trying the vanilla slice.
Where do you begin, for us it was the humble garlic focaccia, a simple starter that was warm and crunchy that set a tone for what was to come. Up next was the Maestosa, fresh linguine mixed with bacon, mushrooms, spring onion, tomato, Napoli sauce with a just a touch of cream, Spanish Risotto, perfectly cooked arborio rice, chorizo sausage, olives, roast capsicum, rocquette, saffron with a sprinkling of chilli for a great little kick at the end. But for us these were all overshadowed by their humble Chicken Parmigiana, a traditional crumbed chicken topped with mozzarella & Napoli sauce served with roasted vegetables. Perfectly cooked, juicy and just the right amount of mozzarella. But be warned, if you come for the parma, come hungry as this little number was enough to feed two or three people.
And if you’re not done there and feeling like venturing out from the favourites like carbonara, lasagne, or any of the traditional pizzas, we recommend you try the crumbed eggplant chips. You won’t regret it.
At this point we had to take a little break before we delved into our desserts. Indulging our sweet tooth on a traditional Baked Cheesecake, Sour Cherry Baked Cheesecake, Tiramisu and as we mentioned earlier the Vanilla Slice. What can we really say about their desserts… only you need to try them… all of them, maybe not all at once but definitely worth a try.
For us the Tiramisu did not disappoint, with perfectly soaked sponge balanced with a hint of coffee and subtle boozy smell it was exactly what you would expect from this Italian favourite. But then again, we’re a sucker for fresh home-made tiramisu. But it was the Vanilla Slice, that really lived up to the hype, all we have to say is, T R Y I T, enough said!
No matter what you’re hunger, Carlucci’s has something for you. With pasta, pizza, dessert and so much more to indulge in you are sure to find something to sink your teeth into that will surely satisfy your cravings.
And even in these interesting times Carlucci’s is weathering the storm to keep our hunger at bay offering take away and delivery options for us. We stand by the statement #supportlocal and if you find yourself looking to indulge in a little Italian feast, we recommend you support this local institution.
CARLUCCI’S RESTAURANT
134 James Street,
Templestowe VIC 3095
03 9846 7963
www.carluccis.com.au
@carluccistemplstowe
