Mamma Barone + Old School Catchup

I love my local area! Food wise, there's always a good mix on offer and at reasonable prices. I will admit to not getting around to trying them all yet (despite living in the area for over 10 years) but I have sampled foods off the menu from a good majority of them...with fond memories accompanying each place. I remember after school when I was 14, buying potato scollop's from the fish and chip shop on the corner (back in the day when i didn't have to worry about putting on a few kilos), or the Vietnamese hot bread bakery buying the TASTIEST sausage rolls. Life was good. Now I have to REALLY watch what I eat, because I put on weight just as easy and a quick as it takes to make 2 minute noodles. But once in a while I, especially when I'm catching up with friends, I indulge...in carbs. I have the biggest weakness for creamy pastas. So when we (sister and I) got a chance to catch up with an old friend from primary school, I literally squirmed with excitement when she suggested Mamma Barone.

It had been a while since I had visited this place. There used to be a Vietnamese place right next door which we visited frequently, my sister ended up working there, and they actually named their youngest daughter after my sister. THATS how many times we would eat there. That's where I first tried Vietnamese coffee too. So when it came down to it, Vietnamese would always win over Italian. Nevertheless, I only remember good things about Mamma Barone.

Its a small restaurant, but it's very cosy and warm. The staff were friendly and very prompt in getting us settled with a couple of menus. Since we hadn't seen this particular friend for probably well over 10 years, we knew that we were in for alot of catching up. We got so caught up with exchanging .. "Oh my goodness!! It's been way too long.." we figure that we should get all the ordering out of the way before we exchange stories from the last 10 or so years of our lives. Pouring over the menu, we opt to order a couple of dishes and share.


Herb Crust - $7

Warm pieces of bread with a sprinkling of herbs. I think I would've prefered garlic bread, but that's because I'm a huge garlic fan. I don't care what kind of breath you end up with.

Tortellini Boscaiola - $14.80

My favourite! So perfectly saucy, with mushrooms, bacon bits, cheese... it was just pure goodness. Pretty decent sized too. I was glad that we decided to share this between 3. You are able to eat just enough without feeling heavy or bored with the flavour, which tends to happen with me when I try to commit myself to a whole serving of creamy pasta.

Large Capricciosa Pizza - $17.50

Pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, bacon...stringy mozzarella cheese. Pretty darn delicious if you ask me! Unfortunately because the servings were quite substantial, and also because we wanted to leave room for dessert and coffee, there were 2 slices of pizza left! Looking back now, I regret not eating it. I always do that.

There was alot of desserts to choose from! Initially, because we were so full, we were going to share one between 3. But I piped in and said that I could actually finish one by myself because it's not that big anyway. So we ended up getting one each and sharing.

They have a gelato menu, everything $7! They looked all so yummy! I had to go with a favourite.

Bacio Gelato - $7

Chocolate hazelnut flavoured icecream encased with a vanilla bean icecream is just and genius end to an Italian meal.

Choc Mint Gelato - $7

Mint flavoured icecream with chocolate bits all up in there! Refreshing!

Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce - $8.50

An old favourite. It's exactly what sticky date pudding is supposed to be. It's a beautifully heart warming winter dessert. For me it conjures up so many childhood memories of eating Sara Lee Sticky date pudding after dinner. YUM!

Just a warning, it can get quite busy and noisy. Sometimes I felt like I was yelling to the person sitting across from me. I guess, if you like your privacy, it probably wouldn't be your first choice. But if your not fussed about that, then you should at least stay and have a coffee and dessert.