Bonjour! Or as to keep in the theme of this post, buongiorno!
This is the first restaurant review I’ve done, and hopefully it will be good to have a break from all the nerdy posts I’ve made lately. If you live near Mornington, Victoria you will know that there is a great Italian restaurant under a new apartment block called D.O.C. It’s an authentic Italian restaurant, as even the waiters are European. It’s a great place, but it could use some improvements. For each section I’ve given it a little Chaos Kitchen rating (CK rating) so we can have a wide variety of opinions. Here’s what I think about it.
Atmosphere:
I love the true Italian vibe to the place. They sell big $99 tubs of Nutella (2kg+ – I can’t exactly remember), along with big wheels of parmesan cheese and Italian prosciutto. When you walk in, the place is usually packed with people and it’s a little hard to hear yourself think. The cheese smell is overwhelming at first, but you settle in when the smell of delicious pizza rises into your nostrils. Off to the side is a small marketplace, filled with Italian fruit (including some blood oranges :O !!!) and well-butchered meat. A great place to go at night for a date or a small get together. Not great for large numbers though. CK Rating: four stars.
Food:
The food is great! I guess it could be classified as a Pizzeria, however there is not many other items on the menu. The food is a bit expensive but the cost is worthwhile. They do some pastas and lasagnes, and luckily for me they serve blood orange juice! However I do have to say that their biggest flaw will bring down the business. On the menu, it states that no pizzas or other items can be altered or changed for eating. Not very good if you have allergies or are fussy about what you eat (like me!). CK Rating: four stars.
Service:
The waiters mostly come from Italy so they all have strong accents, however sometimes the accents fool you on the service. The food is a fairly good speed, however I find that some of the waiters, as brilliant as they are, can be a little arrogant. Try to stay kind to them, or your tables service mightn’t be top notch. The orders are always accurate and the food regularly fills my Italian needs! CK Rating: three stars.
Other:
I found the place was a fun and exciting place to be. It’s current, popular and vibrant. it’s hard to get a table most times – usually it’s full. There’s a big car park out the back next to Coles so finding a spot to park shouldn’t be much of a hassle. I found that D.O.C’s quite seasonal; sometimes people go there more often during certain times of the year. At night time you’ll find it could be easier to get a table, depending on what time and what day you go. Weekdays are usually alright at night before it closes and weekends are usually flat out – sometimes at night they can be better. CK Rating: four stars.
OVERALL CK RATING: 4 STARS.
I recommend this restaurant because it’s fun to be around and your menu is your placemat: a little map of Italy with the items and the prices running down the sides (you know it’s fancy because the prices don’t have a dollar sign and they only have one decimal point, e.g. 14.5). The place is definitely worth a visit sometime.
Until next week,
Chaos Kitchen.
