Da Noi.

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING.

A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance, the restaurant looks pretty nondescript from the outside. We actually walked straight past it and didn’t even notice the (very subtle) signboard. But step through the tiny wooden-framed door and you’ll step into a different country. It’s like a little slice of Sardinia right in Australia, all quaint, rustic, cosy, sensational. The restaurant is divided into 2 levels and is shaped in a narrow rectangle, so expect a hum of conversation going around you as you dine. It’s fine-dining, but features irregularly placed tables tucked into little nooks and corners of the old building. It almost feels like you’ve just entered someone’s home in Europe.

The service is polite and the staff were very well-informed, but I didn’t find them particularly warm. I like an inviting, smiley waitress.. and ours unfortunately fell quite short of that. The guy that brought us up to our table was far warmer and friendlier, so it was a bit regrettable he wasn’t our waiter.

The menu was impressive. It changes daily, based on the freshest in-season ingredients the chef has. The ala carte menu is fairly limited, and our explained each of the dishes to us, but the words were in Italian it was incredibly difficult to remember what each of the dishes were without having to consult her again. I’d recommend a short English blurb under each dish for the non-Italians customers 😉

The degustation menu was the most interesting. It featured “a little antipasti to start, maybe some soup or an appetizer, a main to suit you, perhaps some dessert”.. yes, it was really this vague 😉 The novel part? You inform the chef of what you do/don’t like to eat and he caters each course for you. If you choose to stop because you’re full, or an extra course is needed to fill your (fat) belly, it is accommodated easily and priced accordingly.

The food itself is exquisite. I’d never tasted any of the dishes we selected before. The food’s quite hearty and reminiscent of a warm home-cooked European meal more than the fancy fine-dining you’ll find at the likes of Tetsuya. It’s a totally different concept and atmosphere, and Da Noi does it so SO well.

We inhaled the aromas.
We smacked our lips.
We tasted our food.
We swooned.
We polished off our plates.
We rubbed our bellies.
We sighed with satisfaction.

One of the most unique dining experiences I’ve had, and a total must-visit restaurant.

Da Noi’s nondescript entrance

Okay, let’s step through Da Noi’s tiny door..

Cosy interior with irregularly placed tables – very charming

We had a little corner table upstairs, tucked away and intimate

I forgot the names, but there was white wine, and special fruity champagne

Just a blurry pic as we were sitting around

Appetiser.. forgot the name! Risotto that was flash-fried.
It looked simple but had a great, mild, smooth flavour.

Lovely, moist sourdough bread with olive oil. Wished there was a splash of Balsamic in there too!

Seafood broth. It had a really fancy name and description, but also forgot!
This was packed with assorted mussels, (large chunks of) fish, etc.. total comfort food

Crab and seafood linguini. The mild taste of the linguini really set off the flavour of the sweet crab

Rabbit and pasta broth. So hearty and incredibly tasty.

Venison ragout and parpadelle pasta. Lovely tender meat in perfectly-cooked home made pasta

Warm chocolate pudding with coffee & hazelnut ice cream. Totally decadent!

Panacotta with toffee sprinkles and rhubarb – a perfect, light dessert