Da Noi

Omg so perfect. Value for money doesn’t mean inexpensive. Great food, charming staff and very pleasant ambience. My favourite.

If you know what Sardinian food is like, and why you shouldn’t expect to compare this with your ‘pretty good’ neighbourhood Italian restaurant, then you’ll love this place. It’s a Sardinian restaurant, and they do a fine job of serving sumptuous Sardinian food, some of the finest cuisine on the planet. It’s one of only two Sardinian restaurants in Australia, and totally worth the journey. It’s a shame I can’t get to Sardinia itself more often, that place is heaven on earth.

This restaurant might have been great some day in the past, but now it is simply trading on its past reputation. I invited another couple to join us for dinner. This place is brazen to say the least, in its exorbitant prices for the sizes of its meals. Amongst four of us we paid 200.00 with– no entrees, no desserts! Three of us had a pasta dish. Serves I would consider neither an entrée nor a main, but more a ‘sampler’ size. Being italian I know there might be some work in preparing a boar ragu sauce, but pasta comes cheap-​and there was little of that! You would serve your child more than what we got on each dish. As for my dish it was a snapper fillet topped with lentils and mussels. It was nearly 40.00, and I couldn’t see much skill involved. The wine alone was 60.00– a hefty markup no doubt. Would I go again– no way! Would I recommend it– no way. Even if you have cash to splash, spend it somewhere where there is skill, technique, flavour, excellent presentation, complexity or even inventiveness. This place has few of those.

Da Noi is a sweet little Italian place on Toorak Road in South Yarra. To be specific, it’s Sardinian and they specialise in preparing and serving food grown on their own farm. I had the degustation lunch in the front dining area which has just enough room for tables along each wall with a narrow aisle between. Floorboards and textured cream walls added a rustic feel.
I asked the waitress to chose a wine for me and a couple of minutes later she was back with a fresh bottle of La Tense Nebbiolo. Very light, and a good start to the meal.
Three dishes arrived at my table almost immediately after the wine; a small portion of eggplant lasagne, a plate with a seared scallop topped with poppy seeds on a pool of very light fresh tomato mousse, a little bowl of fried whitebait and a side of diced tomatoes, and a third plate with two slices of rare roast beef covered in a very mild tuna and caper sauce. Excellent starters, but the scallop and the beef were standouts for me. At least until the next course arrived.
This was the special of the day; duck pasta garnished with shaved truffles on a creamy truffle and pecorino cheese sauce. Delicious.
Next up was a piece of pork belly served on celeriac emulsion with a reduction of myrtle berries (mirto in Italian) which are grown on the family farm. This came with a side of baked carrots. Never been a fan of pork belly, and honestly probably never will be, but this was one of the better variations I’ve eaten.
To finish, I had a lovely, soft Corsican sheep’s milk cheese with an ash and rosemary rind served with apple purée, mandarin segments and almonds. Once again my waitress came to the party by choosing not-​too-​sticky dessert wine to accompany it — a gorgeous Sardinian white called Angelus.
The five course set lunch menu costs $ 55 ($ 70 for me as I upgraded to the special of the day) plus wine. The chef here has a very subtle touch and every dish was well balanced with interesting flavour combinations.
Da Noi means «our place» in Italian, and I certainly felt right at home from the moment I sat down. My definition of great service is that no matter how busy the restaurant is (and the day I went every table was full) the staff make you feel like you’re the only person there. And that’s exactly how the staff at Da Noi made me feel. Great restaurant and definitely worth another visit.

Easy to miss this tiny shop front in Toorak Road which in a former life was Brummels photo gallery and café. We had an early booking as they were fully booked and were warmly greeted with offers of Prosecco. A lovely bottle disappeared very quickly. We had the degustation menu which is always a good way to get the feel of a restaurant. Many courses of antipasto arrived, small servings calamari, cuttlefish, Vitello tonnata and melanzane parmigiana etc. a small pasta dish followed, perfectly cooked spaghetti in a small mound with crab, cherry tomatoes etc, meat was a traditional Sardinian lamb stew thickened with egg yolks served with crispy roast potatoes and salad. Dolce was a delicious raspberry gelato, panna cotta and chocolate bavarois,
Service was efficient and very pleasant. Highly recommended for a modern take on traditional Sardinian/​Italian food.

I cannot believe there are not more review’s on this fabulous Sardinian restaurant.
The menu is hand written daily depending on the produce the Chefs get in. The Waiters truly know their stuff, let them recommended a wine.
If available, try the Beef Tartar with Egg Yolk.

Amazing atmosphere. We were tucked away in the back with a suckling pig slowly rotating on a fire. The gummy shark and honey tart were also highlights. An authentic Sicilian experience.