I set out early out for lunch today. I have to walk a good 6 blocks to get to Flinders Lane. My original plan is to eat lunch at the Journal Canteen then dinner at Longrain but I changed my plans entirely. I had my rubber shoes on today, since it's a Friday and I had a good walk from the office to where I want to. I've seen Rosa's Kitchen since I first set foot along Flinders Lane.Rosa has a cookbook, entitled My Cousin Rosa, that tells a lot about her life as a child in Sicily and the dishes her family has served on their table before they moved to Australia. Her roots have stuck with her and she remained true to them until Rosa's Kitchen opened. True enough, though Rosa's Kitchen served 2 sized antipastos, 3-4 main dishes, a dessert, a handful of selected Australian red, white, rose and sparkling wines by the glass and bottle. All these dishes are carefully selected and hand-picked, then served to your table. For any diner, this is a good enough reason to eat at any establishment.
Since I arrived early, the place wasn't half-full yet, so I chose a spot by the window. Lo and behold, the best view of Centre Place you won't get anywhere. As I placed my order and a full bottle of cold water, an empty cup, and my glass of wine arrived, for me, it was a picturesque scene of the famed Melbourne laneway. I immediately knew that I've fallen in love with the city--as I stared down the Centre where people queue up for sandwiches, lattes, crepes and salads.My main is a plate of chicken leg with porcini and potatoes. This is a good hearty dish and cooked perfectly. I daresay that this is one of the best meals that I've had in Melbourne and considering that it is cooked simply but the tastes are good. A simple, plump, juicy leg of chicken cooked in a light, sweet stock of porcini. Just a small amount of porcini will bring any dish to life. I didn't forget to dip my bread onto my plate to swipe out all that lovely sauce. My main also came with a simple salad of lettuce and fennel.
Another thing that surprised me is that my red wine (Sangiovese) went well with the chicken dish. I know that as a rule of thumb that red wine should go with red meat and white wine with white meat, but the red wine was light enough to not ruin the dish.
I'll definitely come back to Rosa's. Next time, I'll have the antipasto and dessert. ^.^
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