Discover Vatutto / Vibrant

Va Tutto which roughly translates from Italian as “everything goes”, should get and award for truth in naming. for starters, owner Paul Recinella,who opened the Ivanhoe business nine years ago, offer two levels of dining- Bistro and restaurant – each with its own menu and sense of style.

Then there are the menus themselves, covering an impressive amount of ground in terms of size and variety. Its a place where you can start with Chinese-style dumplings, or oysters, move on to house-made pasta or risotto, and then perhaps a scotch fillet with roast potatoes and garlic butter or a duck -leg with jasmine rice before bringing it home wit a marscarpone cheesecake or peanut butter perfait. like they say everything goes.

The critically acclaimed restaurant is the most formal(and expensive) option here, so for those looking for a quick bite and a glass of wine or coffee, Vatutto’s bistro is where its at.

Though more casual,the bistro’s dining room hardly amounts to slumming it, the carpeted room, with its large windows overlooking the street,its furnished with comfortable upholstered chairs and banquettes, and spacious timber tables set with different linen napkins and red water glasses. The efficient, friendly staff working the floor are good at making you feel welcome.

The bistro menu includes the usual entreè and mains selection but has others devoted to oysters and dumplings, pizza seafood and the grill. There’s also a list of specials so the choice is extensive, The decision-phobic will need to allow extra time.

Pizza here is very good. The dough is allowed to prove for two days before being shaped, topped and cooked in the stone-floored over,witch means that the base is both chewy and crispy, with nice airy lightness. There’s some good charring around the edges, and the 15 or so topping combinations- everything from artichoke, roasted capsicum, eggplant and smoked cevapcici sausage and green olives to Gorgonzola, pear and walnuts or mushrooms and truffled pecorino-are generous and colorful.

Paul Recinella’s menu might jump all over the place in terms of cuisine but he’s a stickler for authenticity and steers clear of and bizarre fusion hybrids.

His large kitchen includes Italian, Chinese, Indian and Puerto-Rician chefs in the mix and this breadth of experience is reflected in the quality and the clarity of the flavors.

Add a well-priced, mostly Australia, wine list and well-made coffee, some excellent vego and gluten-free options and an excellent range of house-made small sweet things (cannoli,truffles,shortbread,cupcakes) and its hard to argue that Vatutto doesn’t offer a little something for everyone.

Click to view Restaurant Menu