Balzari

Ph: 9639 9383; 130 Lygon St, CARLTON 3053 www.balzari.com.au

1, $$ -
Open Tue-Fri noon-late Sat-Sun 9.30am-late; Licensed, BYO tues-wed only , Corkage $8 bottle; AE DC MC V
Chef Joel Valvasori-Pereza (5-12-08) Owner Simon & Aviva Balzary (5-12-08)

Mietta's Review
New owners have changed Balzari. Gone is the emphasis on the bar with its faux kitchen. In is a more heavily tabled space with the accent on the diners not just the food. Not that the food is bad - just more mainstream and less attached to Italy. Anyway It's the service, the rather blokey atmosphere and BYO Mondays that attracts the Carlton businessmen. Prices are higher than before but are around the Melbourne mean - $30 plus mains.

Other published opinions

Age Good Food Guide 2009 Score: 14.5/20 "In a strip of Lygon Street now more south-east Asian than Italian, Balzari is the choice venue for cucina Italiana. After a period of instability in the kitchen, head chef Joel ValvasoriPereza has refocused the menu from broader Mediterranean to Northern Italy, particularly with dishes from Veneto and Friuli"

The Age John Lethlean, 15-7-2008 Score: 14/20 "NOT a lot has changed at Balzari - that quirky little rose between the creamy sun-dried tomato pasta thorns of funny old Lygon Street. And yes, that's a good thing. There's a new-ish head chef, Joel Valvasori-Pereza, which is a highly significant event in the life of any small restaurant, but the craft of a good restaurateur who is not a chef is in creating brand values that transcend any particular kitchen regime"

Herald Sun 10-06-08 Score: *** "Good, contemporary Italian food in an uncompilcated setting separate this place from most Lygon St restaurants"

Herald Sun Bob Hart, 29-03-08 "dotted among the shonkatorias are one of two credible places offering very decent Italian food indeed. ... we observed a longstanding Balzan tradition by ordering mixed olives with a portion of the dangerously delicious curly bread deep-fried twists of grissini-like bread that have been a menu fixture since the place opened four years ago."

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14/20 "That something as simple as 'curly bread' should develop a city-wide reputation says something about this handsome bistro. Quality and simplicity, smack bang in the middle of the highoctane tourist traps of Lygon Street's pizza and pasta belt"

The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 14/20 "This sassy bistro is leading a slowburn renaissance, enchanting jaded Lygonleathers with its fresh modern flavours and spot-on service. The natty little menu displays great thought, with its extensive list of mix-and-match appetisers and larger dishes just made for sharing."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide "Balzari is a curious gem: not quite Spain, Italy or Greece, yet entirely Melbourne. Informal, but backed up by youthful, professional service; rustic, but without the culinary shortcuts that tag can suggest, and completely infused with the spirit of good wine."

The Age 10/9/05 Jane Faulkner "Thank goodness Balzari is here because it's a lovely bistro, very much in the Parisian vein - dark Bentwood chairs, wood tables simply set with good cutlery and white napkins but with plenty of airiness and light."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005 " An informal but impeccably run small bistro, Balzan takes its cues from the rash of wine bars and cafes embracing Mediterranean rusticity. It just works the genre better than most."

Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide "Staffed by a couple young enough to have energy, old enough to be industry veterans, this pan-Mediterranean place hums with efficiency, hospitality, good wine and even better rustic food."

Age Take 5 Roslyn Grundy 5/9/04 "snacks, such as saganak or whitebait with garlicky mayo may dent your hunger for rustic mains such as veal shank braised with green olives on polenta"

bring an appetite when you visit this bistro.

Herald Sun Stephen Downes score 17/20 11/5/04 "Balzan raises the bar way too high for most of the rest of Lygon St. It serves terrific, tasty and freshly made bistro food. Though fairly expensive, its wine list offers very interesting spreads of Italian and Spanish drops under lists of "varietals" as well as a good choice of Australian wines. Four table reds and four whites are served by the glass at fair prices."

The Age, A2,15/5/04,Jane Faulkner,'Balzari is quite possibly the best thing to happen to Lygon Street, as far as restaurants go...laid-back eatery that's open daily for lunch and dinner and decent coffee any time...Great vibe at Balzari.'

Herald Sun, Weekend, 5/6/04,Bob Hart,'a deliciously uncomplicated little place...A cleverly compiled and superbly executed menu offers Greek treasures, Spanish and Catalan gems,fine French expressions and comfortable, homespun puddings.'

The Age, Agenda, 2/5/04,John Lethlean,'A menu with lots of appetisers to chose from-little dishes such as whitebait with aioli, or superb dips with pide,or fetta stuffed Hungarian peppers,roasted-encourages a social,gastronomic kind of drinking.The cooking is generous and from the heart.'

The Age, Epciure, 6/4/04, John Lethlean, Score 15/20,'The Lygon St limbo is looking good again...Balzari is a terrific new page in the little book of quality of Melbourne food and wine experiences.The cooking is real,the value for money strong,the sense of style reassuring and the hospitality genuine.'