Review ~ Violino Gastronomia Italiana

Violino's is located in the quaint High Street part of town next to Manor cafe. It's a perfect place for a quiet dinner for two or a lovely party of six. Violino's has a beautiful patio in the summer but inside is just as nice with round tables and plush chairs. The menu is well put together with thoughtful dishes in each category. As you peruse the menu, a jovial waiter comes by with bread, fresh pieces of cheese shaved right off a giant cheese wheel, small pieces of salami, and a wonderful piece of tomato with melt in your mouth mozza and crispy bacon. He comes by often and is very friendly, encouraging you to try this, and try that :)

We settled on an insalata di mare to share (a smoked salmon, prawn, mussel, calamari, and clams tossed in evoo and fresh citrus juice) which was just ok - a little bland but you can definitely taste the subtle citrus flavour at the very end.

For the mains, we ordered a Risotto con Funghi (risotto and wild mushroom melange with paremsan cheese, laced with truffle oil) and a Duo di Agnello (fine aged lamb rack with rosemary red wine reduction, served with potato gnocchi)
Risotto con Funghi

The risotto was simply amazing - to be so flavourful in the absence of any meat was awesome. The risotto was cooked perfectly and the mushrooms added intense flavours. It was very hard not to gobble this up instead of savouring all the flavours.
Duo di Agnello

I'm not a big fan of lamb due to the taste but this is definitely a dish to order even if you dislike lamb. It was cooked medium rare, by request and was so tender, flavourful, and completely lacked that weird taste that lamb usually has. There was a delicate crust (which we sort of deciphered to be a combo of dijon, thyme, and bread crumbs) on the outside and the rosemary red wine reduction was to die for. The potato gnocchi was paired well with this dish. It complemented the intense flavours coming from the meat juices and the sauces.

We had room for dessert and ended up trying their tiramisu - it was not a big piece so it was perfect to share.

If you are in the mood for some creative italian dishes, do give Violino's a try. Make sure to make reservations as the restaurant is not very big. If you're feeling adventurous, do try their signature dish, the Bistecca alla Fiorentina, which is a 40oz T-bone steak for 2...

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