Mamma Mia Ristorante Italiano: Food like an Italian mamma would make

Mamma Mia Ristorante Italiano
14B Pacific Ave
Phone: 575 8245

We first visited Mamma Mia when it opened in 2012 and were impressed. We have just been again and were even more impressed. It was packed with many of the locals telling us it is their favourite.

The restaurant has changed ownership since 2012 but not head chef. Cimone, who was head chef to the Italian couple who opened Mamma Mia, bought the restaurant last year with her husband, Luciano. So Cimone remains in the kitchen while Luciano looks after front of house. It's a family affair - daughter Mariana and son Vini work there, too. This family's passion for good food and convivial atmosphere comes through in every aspect of their ownership, from the menu to the service and the ambiance. "For us, Mamma Mia is about people, about experience and about having a love and passion for what we are doing. We are very thankful for the community who are supporting us," says Cimone.

Tucked down Pacific Ave, it has an intimate feel, which is matched by the home-cooked style dishes found on the Italian menu. The restaurant's success could also be down to the menu's variety. The pizza and pasta dishes are in the $20s, perfect for groups or a midweek meal. But, if you are for all-out a la carte dining, there is plenty to lure you.
I started off with a classic Italian dish, Insalata di Caprese, a salad of mozzarella, tomato and basil presented with colourful flair. The mozzarella was plump and moist dressed in fresh herbs, balsamic and lashings of earthy olive oil. Delicious. My friend had the Carpaccio (raw beef fillet thinly sliced), a feast for eyes and palate.

For mains, I ordered the fillet with blue cheese sauce, a dish so creamily rich it is hard to believe it is semi Paleo if you overlook the dairy. The steak was perfectly tender. It came with roast pumpkin puree and the tang of the blue cheese was tamed by sweet roasted red onion. My friend had the Gamberoni, succulent shelled prawns cooked in brandy, garlic, butter and olive oil, which she was rhapsodic over.

Each dish, including starters and pastas, is matched to a wine but, it being a chilly night, we shared a bottle of Rabbit Ranch, a wonderful pinot noir that suited our rich dishes perfectly. I am not usually a dessert person but I could not go past the creme brulee, and ramping up my creamy calorific intake even further, I dived into the caramelised toffee top to the velvety vanilla custard underneath. For my friend, Affogato - vanilla icecream with a shot of hot espresso and Baileys.

We finished with Italian liqueurs: Limoncello, the refreshing lemon liqueur that's an excellent digestive, and Nocello and Frangelico, irrestibly sweet and nutty walnut and hazelnut liqueurs which warmed us on a wintry night. Mamma Mia lives up to its namesake. I imagine its food to be like an Italian mamma would make, lovingly cooked and presented.

Luciano made sure we wanted for nothing, and we felt like guests in a bustling home, full of laughter, the clink of glasses heady with garlic and basil aromas. Cimone tells us she is busy inventing a new menu so we will definitely be back soon to try it.