This really was one of the loveliest little finds! On Monday night we headed out to see Will Anderson’s Fan Fiction Comedy Show (such a great show- you should see it, it’s full of nerdy and culty show references 
) and decided to look for a cheap but nice place to eat afterwards.
The front of the restaurant in Manchester Lane
Melbourne really has gotten cold all of a sudden and we didn’t want to venture too far away on foot, so we were quite happy when we came across Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana on Manchester Lane.
Being a pasta restaurant, before asking for a table I had to do a quick allergy check to see if there was anything on the menu that didn’t contain egg yolks. I was super happy that the gnocchi didn’t – hooray! We were ushered up to the back of the restaurant to a little table overlooking the kitchen and I loved that the tables all have very kitsch red and white checkered tablecloths.
It was great the food didn’t take long because the wonderful aromas in the restaurant were driving us crazy! I ordered the gnocchi with mushroom sauce and it was flipping brilliant. I don’t usually order anything cheesy and creamy, it might have been the cold night but I just really felt like it.
Gnocchi with Mushroom Sauce
I’m glad I did because it was amazing! Even though it was a cheesy/creamy dish, the huge pieces of mushrooms and freshly chopped parsley really balanced it all out. There was something so familiar and warming about this dish, one of those ones that makes you feel like a kid again…you know?
Penne with all sorts of lovely things
Adrian ordered the penne which came with a sauce of tomatoes, kalamata olives and capers topped with cheese, chilli and freshly chopped parsley. The sauce was just amazing and full of flavour, this place really has the knack of bringing together simple ingredients into a dish that completely hits the spot.
What an absolute treat! If you’re lucky enough to get a table then you’ll be rewarded by a wonderfully humble restaurant with inexpensive, delicious, hearty food!
