We seem to kick off our Christmas dinners each year with the one for D’s workplace and this time it’s at Oliveto Ristorante & Bar in Rhodes.
The restaurant featured a modern Italian menu and has floor-to-ceiling windows to take advantage of the water front views from Bays Point Reserve.
We’re here for the 3 course function menu ($75.00 per person) with alternate plating. As a couple, the evil that is alternate plating is easily overcome.
On arrival, we have House made Italian bread with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The bread has a good crust with tender innards that mop up the olive oil and balsamic vinegar well.
For the Primi, the first choice is Linguine with prawns, cherry tomatoes, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. The linguine is al dente, but the prawns — all 1.5 of them — are tiny and tough. The overall flavour was decent, but it’s not at all better than pasta sauce in a jar.
The alternate plate for the Primi is the Fried baby calamari with semi-dried tomatoes, chilli and basil. Compared to the pasta, the calamari was more generous serving size and had a crispy coating and a tender texture. The tomato, though, was overly salty, while there was no hint of chilli at all.
The first choice for the Secondi is the Beef eye fillet with parsnip purée, chicory and porcini mushroom jus. The beef was a thick cut and cooked to a medium rare, while the parsnip purée with the jus was a smooth and tasty alternative to mashed potato.
The alternate plate for the Secondi is the Barramundi fillet with smoked eggplant purée, sauteed spinach and baby carrots. The fish was juicy and flaky with a crisp skin, while the eggplant purée retained some texture in contrast to a babaganoush.
A rocket and parmesan salad is the Contorni. We’ve never been fans of the bitterness of rocket, and the addition of cheese does not change our minds.
For the Dolci, the first choice is the Tiramisu with bitter sweet chocolate. The tiramisu has a smooth marscapone with a moist sponge, while the bitterness of the cocoa cut through the sweetness. The bitter sweet chocolate swirled around the plate, though, lacked any depth of flavour and tasted like cheap chocolate.
The alternate plate for the Dolci is the Trio of sorbeto and gelato. The trio consisted of a lemon sorbet, hazelnut sorbet and a raspberry gelato. The lemon sorbet was satisfyingly mouth-watering in its sharpness, while the hazelnut delivered an enjoyable nuttiness without the usual creaminess. The raspberry gelato, though, disappointed by having an overwhelming dairy flavour.
Overall, the function menu was a disappointment for the price with service being inattentive — it was near impossible to get drinks refilled, be it water or otherwise — and while not rude, neither was it friendly or welcoming. We struggle to understand how it scored so well in reviews online.
Oliveto Ristorante & Bar is located at 443 Concord Rd, Rhodes NSW 2138.