I’m a big fan of Mister Bianco, so Joseph Vargetto’s Massi became a must-visit when it opened in the CBD in May last year. Seating around 50 people in a single room, it’s a cosy and welcoming place. Comfy leather booths line one side of the room, and stools at the marble-clad bar are found along the other. It has a wine bar feel, and touches like leather table inlays and dark woods make it feel special.

Mini impanata filled with pork, peas and pecorino are tasty bites to commence the meal. The fish of the day is swordfish, perfectly cooked and probably the best I’ve had. The firm but moist flesh is delicious when paired with the Sicilian caponata and fried capers. Zucchini, tomato, capsicum, eggplant, pepper berries and baby pine nuts create a symphony of texture and flavour.

Pastas are made in-house. We have the simple yet flavoursome Saffron Cavatelli pescatore with prawns, mussels, scallops, garlic, olive oil and chilli. Squid Ink Paccheri replaces the previous dish of spaghetti, the giant tubes better for catching the mixture of blue swimmer crab meat and clams in acqua pazza, aka ‘crazy water’. Today’s pasta special is Pappardelle with Rabbit Ragu and Corn. Fried onions are sprinkled on top, giving it crunch. Like a good ragu should be, it’s rich and flavoursome, and surprisingly not as sweet as expected for something with corn. It’s our favourite pasta of the night.

We finish with a Sicilian sweet ricotta orange filled cannolo. Perfectly crispy pastry, chocolate bits and zesty citrus breaking up cream, made this the perfect way to finish a great dinner.

To top it all off, Massi features in Liven, which offers 25% cashback on the bill. The process is simple. Inputting the total into the app will charge the card linked to your Liven account, and the cashback will be ready to use towards your meal at the next Livenpay venue. There’s even an option to donate the cashback reward to charity.

Massi did not disappoint. The ambience, friendly and attentive service, and delicious classic Italian fare made this a very enjoyable evening.

Disclaimer: I received a discount to dine courtesy of Liven. Opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are based on my experience at the time

Massi
445 Little Collins St
Melbourne, VIC, 3000
(03) 9670 5347
massi.com.au