Way back when, Piccolino’s was a pizza and pasta take-away store, but since the early 90’s it’s expanded and become a fully-fledged restaurant with impressive architecture to boot.

Your first sighting of the interior might just take your breath away. Designed by internationally-recognised Hachem Architects, the 100-seat restaurant features a pizza oven with a towering flue that extends all the way up to the lofty ceiling. A mezzanine level is set just behind it. The walls are decorated with a variety of jars, bottles and products, adding to the warm and casual vibe, though we don’t envy the poor soul tasked with dusting them.

Lunch kicks off with some Garlic Bread and refreshing Bruschetta before we dig into wood-fired pizzas, pastas and mains. The pizza bases are thin and crisp. There’s the simple and popular Margherita Di Buffala with homemade napoli sauce, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil and cherry tomatoes, as well as more modern combinations like in the Prosciutto Pizza with its pesto base, mozzarella, baby spinach, prosciutto, roasted pumpkin, roasted pepper, and fetta – a mix of sweet and savoury.

Veal Trifolata has tender pan-fried veal backstrap cooked in a dark-coloured white wine mushroom and rosemary gravy together with king prawns. The Risotto Sposa come with chilli, prawns, scallops, cherry tomato and napoli. The rice is cooked a little past al dente, but the seafood is fresh and handled nicely.

Lasagne is rarely photogenic, but it’s the flavour that counts. Piccolino’s is heart-warming and comforting, with all the flavours and textures we expect from a good lasagne.

In an inventive twist, the Tiramisu comes with some un-soaked savoiardi biscuits on top either for extra crunch or nibbles. I’m not too sure about the contrasting textures when it’s eaten with the rest of the tiramisu. Mars Bar Mousse is a rich and quite sweet dessert of both chocolate and salted caramel mousse and chopped Mars Bar pieces. The highlight are definitely the Sfinge: piping hot, airy and spongey Italian donuts with Nutella sauce and a light coating of sugar.

Piccolino’s has certainly come a long way from its humble beginnings. Its new interior design is absolutely stunning, but the food hasn’t lost its family restaurant touch.

Disclaimer: I was invited to Piccolino as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are based on my experience at the time

Piccolino
53 Blackburn Rd
Mount Waverley, VIC, 3149
(03) 9803 1885
https://www.piccolino.com.au/