This week took me to La Lucciola – not the well known beachfront restaurant in Seminyak, Bali (I wish), but the cosy version housed on Chapel Street, South Yarra. For the past 35 years, the family-run eatery has been serving classic Italian dishes among the hustle and bustle of Chapel Street’s fashion landscape. La Lucciola, or ‘La Luch’ known by regulars, is part the precinct’s grass-roots.
The Spaghetti Bolognese looked good on arrival – a good colour and stirred through with a generous dollop on top for good measure. It had a very sweet tomato-ey smell. First bite – meat tender. Flavour tomato dominated. Very sweet.
The texture of the sauce was enjoyable – not too dense, nor too runny – it had great spreadability over the spaghetti. The texture of the pasta, on the other hand, was overcooked and lacked firmness, creating a disappointing mushy consistency in my mouth requiring minimal chewing effort.
Missing was the counterbalance flavour for the toothsome tomato, as well as adequate seasoning. It was too sweet to be rich and lacked complexity. I missed the acidity in this one. On the up side, the portion size was fair and the pasta-to-sauce ratio was spot on. Overall, an average spag bol – nothing mind blowing, but not a complete disaster.
Price: $15
Score: 11.5/20
