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Masani Restaurant & Catering
Ph: (03) 9347 5610; 313 Drummond St, Carlton 3053 www.masani.com.au
Italian, $$ +
Open Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm; Licensed, BYO, Corkage $8.50 bottle; AE DC MC V EFT, Seats inside 80, Private rooms 30, 60
Chef Richard Maisano (7-11-07) Owner Richard & Luciana Maisano (7-11-07)
Mietta's Review
With its big central fire-place Masani's large open dining room is a cosy winter dining place. It's tranquil and stylish ambience makes it a haven away from the Lygon Street style nearby . It still has a "lovely Italian fine dining situation" with family style food. Chef-owner Richard Maisano is still cooking with a touch of fire (he uses a lot of chilli and cooks some meats in the open fire place) and is still experimenting with special dishes listed on the blackboard. The standard menu is quite big as well, perhaps too big, to cater for the number of diners here successfully.
Other published opinions
Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 13/20 "With its high ceilings, splendid Art Nouveau lights and ltalianate columns, this 19thcentury building retains much of the imposing grandeur of its days as a private gentlemen's club"
The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 13/20 "Since 1983, this Trust classified Federation building in Drummond Street has been home to the regional Italian cuisine of Richard and Luciana Maisano. Theirs is a convivial environment with arched windows, black iron fittings and a granite bar"
Herald Sun Eat Bob Hart 1/10/05 "One of these is Masani, a generously proportioned establishment far enough away from the Lygon St strip to be regarded as credible, and capable of attracting patrons without actually mugging them in the street."
The Age A2 The Good Life Rita Erlich 18/6/05 "This is the up-side of winter. And the food, of course. Masani's serves Italian food, as it has since it opened 20 years ago in a building first erected by merchants Ball &Welch in 1889. It's a wonderfully spacious restaurant, with high timber ceilings, immense pendant light fittings, white walls and tiled floor. And the food is as generous as the setting."
The Herald Sun Stephen Downes 24/5/05 score 16/20 "When the old is done well, it's never out of date. Masani serves excellent but high-priced Latin home food in a stylish and comfortable setting. Its wine list is extensive and quite expensive, five whites and six reds priced reasonably by glass."
The Age Good Food Guide 2005 "Originally a gentleman's club, the large space has dark-wood trims, Italianate columns and an appealing bar surrounded by a wall of wine accessible only by a librarystyle ladder. The menu reflects the family's combined northern and southern Italian heritage and boasts excellent handmade pasta"
AGFG 2004, score 13/20, excellent wine list,excellent bar
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