Va Bene

I popped around to Va Bene for a quick dinner as I had a meeting nearby. I have heard good things about the pizza at Va Bene but I felt like pasta this particular night.
The menu is not huge. There are about 3 pastas: duck ragu, bolognaise and seafood. I felt like a hearty meat dish so bolognaise pappardelle it is!
For $ 18 this pappardelle is pretty tiny! I wish I could have double of that because it was actually very delicious. The pappardelle was al dente and the bolognaise was full of flavours.
The service wasn’t that fantastic either. I was the only person in the restaurant at that time and I had to get up several times to ask for stuff. I wasn’t told of any specials of the day either :/​.
I guess I wouldn’t go out of the way to go back.

Three years ago going to Va Bene felt like you’d found a hidden gem, but now it feels like you’re a tourist who has stumbled upon an unlucky choice. There used to be Italians and friendly staff and a convivial family-​run kind of atmosphere, now it’s diverse staff who don’t talk or joke amon gst themselves and there’s dance music booming away. The magic’s gone, and the food — at least as far as the one dish I tried on this return visit — doesn’t compare. Now the front window is covered with «Finalist in Best Pizza award 2010 and 2011» … but back in 2010 & 2011 when it probably deserved to win that award, the window was just plain glass. Has it changed management or what? What happened?

This place is a hidden little secret. What I love about Va Bene is that upon entering you are immediately transformed out of the cold barren Docklands precinct into a modern, inner city, stylish, welcoming atmosphere where the smell of freshly cut oregano and garlic pizza take over!
An awesome place for big lunchtime groups and the best pizza in the Docklands by far. It does get busy, so best to book in advance. They also deliver which is a plus! The Salsiccia Pizza, Italian sausage, tomato, mozzarella, parmesan, caramelised onion, fior di latte, oregano, fresh chilli (hot) $ 21 is a ver popular choice along with the Sujuk sujuk sausage (halal), tomato, mozzarella, potato, roasted capsicum, olives, rocket, fresh chilli (hot) $ 21.