Papa Gino's Italian Restaurant

    When Melbournians think of Italian eateries, they think of Lygon Street, because this is where the collection of Italian food can be found.  There are a few Greek corner restaurants that serve one of the most tantalising souvlaki (Greek lamb kebabs) as well as a wide variety of choco cafes such as Koko Black, and my personal favourite, Brunetti!  It is about a good 15 minute walk from where we live to Papa Gino's, an Italian restaurant that we frequent. With a great scenery and lots of restaurants along the way, by the time we arrive at the restaurant, we've build up quite an appetite.

Papa Gino's on Lygon Street

    I notice that this place caters to students and families who want to eat out and have a great time.  The place has a lot of tables, but it is PACKED almost every time I decided to eat there and usually around dinner time.  With how it is furnished, the brick pillars do give a little privacy to the tables in small nooks.

    Although I view Asian noodles, Italian pasta and the like as over-priced food to order at restaurants, it is always good to have a little variety every now and then.  Up until now, I have had little problems with the food and service from this place so that is a huge plus for me to return.

Fettuccine Tuna

Thin Strips of Pasta with Tuna in Napoletana Sauce

    The sauce taste like tomato fish out of a can.  Sweet and yet the taste of the fish is really strong.  I have mixed feelings when I eat food that has a very strong taste/smell lingering from before it was killed.

    Taken from Wikipedia, "Fettuccine (literally "little ribbons" in Italian) is a type of pasta popular in Rome. It is a flat thick noodle made of egg  and flour  wider than but similar to what's called tagliatelle  elsewhere in Italy. Fettuce is a wider version of fettuccine whilst fettucelle is thinner."

    It is called Napoletana sauce in the menu, but reading in Wikipedia, "Neapolitan sauce is the collective name given (outside Italy, particularly in the U.S.) to various basic tomato-based sauces derived from Italian cuisine, often served over pasta and then sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese." 

Penne Bolognese

Cylinder shapped pasta with Meat-based sauce

    Bolognese is my favourite Italian sauce of all time.  Penne is easy to eat with a fork and it will soak up loads of the sauce in its hollowed body.  I ordered a main instead of an entree because I'm a pig and I'd rather be full and leave some food behind than to eat and still be hungry.  It is a very healthy portion for dinner and filling as well.

    The mince meat is very tender and sweet.  I like my Bolognese thick and abundant!  As a general rule, for items that come with sauces as the secondary bulk of the dish, always ask for more.

    "Bolognese sauce (ragù bolognese in Italian, also known by its French name sauce bolognaise) is a meat-based sauce for pasta originating in Bologna, Italy. Bolognese sauce is sometimes taken to be a tomato sauce, but authentic recipes have only a small amount of tomato."

     As for pricing, this is a Italian restaurant in the heart of Lygon street.  It is PRICY - with pastas at AUD9-14, small sized pizza at AUD10 and above, and meat dishes well above AUD20.  If you are a couple with small appetites, you may want to order a main pasta dish and share between the two of you...and go early before the crowd.

What else can I say?  Pasta is pasta...It's either you get it right or you don't...and it's dirt cheap and easy to make at home.

Stout out.