Restaurant Review: Bottega

Location: 74 Bourke St, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9654 2252
Link: bottega.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Italian
Overall Impression: 7/10

Located in the CBD, this little Italian eatery is a gem. Celebrating Modern Italian cuisine, the dishes are contemporary without losing the appeal synonymous with classical Italian robust flavours.

We arrived right on time and were promptly greeted by a lovely Maître d'. The restaurant was not surprisingly empty for a mid-week lunch. We benefited from this as the service we received was impeccable.

The dining menu is separated into 4 sections: Entrée, Pasta, Main and Sides. On this occasion, I decided to order pasta and a main.

High-end Italian restaurants usually serve good olive oil with bread and Bottega is no exception. The extra virgin olive oil was delicious. It made waiting for our dishes to arrive very enjoyable.  

House made ricotta gnocchi, cherry tomatoes, fava beans, burrata & light pesto $24

The ricotta gnocchi had the perfect texture. The ingredients were fresh and tasty. Commendably, the flavours in the dish were very well-balanced. It was a perfect summer dish.

Twelve hour roasted goat, burghul, mandarin, fresh dates, almonds, yoghurt dressing $38

The goat was incredibly tender and moist. The flavours were subtle but very pleasant. The only criticism I would make would be with regards to the condiments that were served with the goat. They were quite sweet and overpowered the subtle flavours of the goat when eaten together.

Bottega means “artist's workshop” in Italian – appropriate, given the culinary artwork produced.