Da Noi

Ph: (03) 9866 5975; 95 Toorak Rd, SOUTH YARRA 3141

Italian, $$$, *** for Food
Open Mon-Sat 6pm-late; Licensed, BYO mon, Corkage $10 bottle; AE DC MC V EFT, Seats inside 55, Outside seats, Private room 28
Chef Pietro Porcu (7-11-07) Owner Pietro Porcu & Bianca Stephenson (7-11-07)

Mietta's Review
The tiny room winds around the steep narrow staircase and opens out a little at the back. Upstairs the room is larger but there is no way this narrow shopfront with its white painted lining boards could be described as grand. However, the food is very special. The owner/chef, Pietro Porcu is Sardinian and his food is Italian with Spanish and Arab influences. It is arguably the best Italian food in Melbourne, deliciously refined and absolutely Italian in its apparent simplicity. But the price is not nearly so understated. And this is what makes, or for some breaks, the experience at Da Noi - food that, like the music of Mozart, looks incredibly simple, offered at high prices and in basic surroundings. This is a restaurant where you must trust the owner/chef and accept what is offered - in spite of the all-Italian wine list and the sometimes eccentric service - it can be magical.

Other published opinions

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 15.5/20, One Hat "A menu? Who can be bothered with such trifles? Not Sardinian chef Pietro Porcu who, at 6pm, mightn't know what he's cooking that night. The busy staff can't tell you either"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "The existence of a small a la carte menu is mentioned with such disdain by the waiters at this narrow terrace specialising in the food of Sardinia that you wonder why they bother with it at all"

The Age John Lethlean, 23-7-2007 Score: 15.5/20 "Porcu, a Sardinian, opened the place with what could at best be called a begrudging menu. If it exists, few ask to see it. It certainly isn't proffered. What staff do is inform diners about the "chef's menu", a $79-a-head series of dishes that is, we're told, made up each day. ... And after 10 years, it seems most of Da Noi's customers haven't the slightest interest in choice or menus ... Porcu has gained our trust - and is still worthy of it."

The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 15/20 1 Hat "Da Noi is a pocket of shabby chic amid the glitz and chintz of Toorak Road. Two skinny floors of rickety tables, artfully peeling paintwork and beaded teal ight-holders disguise the impeccable nature of the joyously rustic food here."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "There's something satisfying about sitting down in this slim, art-filled upstairs-downstairs restaurant and saying, "feed me". You can order a la carte, but leave the wise decisions to the kitchen."

Herald Sun Eat Bob Hart 3/9/05 "It is the tiny Da Noi which, curiously, operates in a street and in an area that exhibit few Slow Food qualities. ... And that's the way things work here: go with the chef's menu, which I highly recommend, and you will receive dishes which, in the chef's view, address your needs, your attitude, and the state of the nation. All you have to do is choose the right wines, which is easy."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005 15/20 One Hat "Friendly staff are overseen by passionate Sardinian owner Pietro Porcu, the charming dining room is crammed with simply dressed tables and coloured by rustic art and lanterns, and the kitchen sends out whatever's cooking, literally."

Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide "True freedom, it would seem, comes when you have no choices. Da Noi offers none. There's no aa la carte ordering, just a great single daily meal of Italian-inspired food. It's a traditional place, with an open fire, art on the walls and a visible, sometimes frenetic, chef out the back"

The Foodies' Guide 2004,Allan Campion & Michelle Curtis,'It's a diner's dream:not having to sift through the menu to find the perfect meal.At this cosy restaurant,the food-Sardinian in essence-appears from the kitchen,one beautiful surprise after another.Meals like these need an exceptional wine list and Da Noi certainly doesn't disappoint.'

Herald Sun, citystyle, 8/6/04,Simon Plant, Score 16/20,'The chef's menu is not for everyone.Portions are modest and prices can startle.But if you want top produce served with knowledge and passion, Da Noi is for you.'

Age Good Food Guide 2004 15/20 One Chefs Hat

The Age, A2, 27/3/04, John Welcon,'Far better to just tell your waiter, when asked, if there's anything you don't like to eat and then sit back and let the chef lead you along a journey through five simple, yet rewarding courses ($69 a head).'

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, Excellent wine list,'intimate approach to cucina Sarde-a combination of unusual dishes embracing both seafood and game meats-makes the dining special...The long, narrow space is a cossetting slice of old Melbourne...when it's good, it's really good.The wines are all Italian and the prices ambitious.'

The Age, Epicure, Restaurants, 13/5/03, John Lethlean, Score 14/20

The Age Good Food Guide 2003 Score 16/20.

The Herald Sun, 05.03.02, Stephen Downes Score: 13 out of 20"

The Sunday Age, 16.04.00, Carolyn Holbrook