Fiorini's, Toorak

We were after a quick meal near Jeff's school just before his concert the other night and a family friend suggested Fiorini's on Toorak Rd. It serves traditional Italian dishes such as pizza and pasta but also offers steaks and other mains if that's what you fancy. The friend said she goes there all the time for lunch so I thought, this place must be on Urbanspoon! I couldn't have been more wrong. It looks like Urbanspoon still has a long way to go in terms of small suburban restaurants like this. Anyway, I took the initiative to add it to the big Urbanspoon family so more people can enjoy it's wonderful aromas. It's also a funny feeling seeing my name on the page saying 'restaurant added by Akika'. :D Makes me feel important haha.



Before the meal, we received a complimentary basket of bread. It was to my surprise, fresh from the oven and the dough was none other than pizza dough! What a smart thing to do so the dough doesn't go to waste. The bread was slightly tougher than others because it wasn't as airy as white bread but has this lovely earthiness to it. Very nice.





I ordered the marinara with spaghetti entree size for $18.90 just because I usually don't like eating pizzas as much (I know, I'm stupid) and I totally regretted my choice! The pasta wasn't bad, it was full of flavour, pasta was cooked al dente and there was a nice mixture of seafoods in the dish. The sauce was slightly too watery for my liking though.





The reason for my regret was because the pizzas were FANTASTIC, and to my surprise as well because this restaurant wasn't even on Urbanspoon! Yuye got a medium sized Tuscany, which is a gourmet pizza featuring pomarola, mozzarella, marinated sliced potatoes, pancetta, cherry tomatoes, caramelised onion and oregano. Just reading the ingredients is enough to make my stomach growl with hunger. It was thin crust but not soggy, the topping was generous and flavours divine. What made it such a hit with me was the potatoes. I never knew potatoes could be so nice on top of a pizza! So this discovery outshone my pasta by a mile.





Silly of my mum and brother, they also unknowingly got pastas. Mum got the funghi with penne pasta which consisted of cream, mushroom and parmiggiano for $16.90. It was nice and creamy, but a little on the bland side.





Jeff got gnocchi with bolognese also for $16.90. The gnocchi was actually cooked perfectly. It was soft and unfloury (if that makes sense). I think the gnocchi might have been home made, using less flour perhaps. There wasn't really enough sauce I thought, since gnocchi is quite bland on the inside. Regardless, this was still a nice dish.





I wasn't able to get a picture of the steak because we were in a hurry and the steak was on the opposite side of the table, but I heard from dad that it was well cooked.

Overall, it was an unexpectedly great meal. The service was good, they were able to cater for the 8 of us at a reasonably fast speed (as we were in a hurry) and the pizzas were just heavenly! Must try the tuscany pizza if you're in the neighbourhood. The shop itself is sort of on its own, not too close to other restaurants but it should be reasonably easy to find. What a hidden gem that I found! :D


Fiorini's
Phone: (03) 9827 9641
470 Toorak Rd, Toorak 3142
http://www.fiorinistoorak.com

Fiorini's on Urbanspoon




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7 comments:

  1. looks like a good, simple, italian family meal :>

    the pizza looks like something i'd try, but probably share, potato sounds really filling :>

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  2. @batasan, there weren't THAT many potatoes on the pizza lol...Yuye managed to eat most of the by himself :) Although a large pizza probably calls for some sharing.

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  3. Potatoes on pizza are pretty great, though I was surprised myself when I had it for the first time at Corretto's on Lygon.

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  4. argh won't let me edit posts :(

    Best complimentary "bread" ever! It was warm when it came out as well, served with olive oil/balsamic dip. Good stuff.

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  5. @yggdrasil, that was the first time I had potatoes on pizza, it was really good. I'm going to stick to getting that next time I see it on the menu at a pizza place. :) I'll remember to check out Corretto's as well! Thanks! :D

    @Yuye, I forgot to mention the olive oil/balsamic dip, thanks for reminding me :D

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  6. Don't you just love an unexpectedly good meal? My mouth is watering now and I've got ages till I eat-arrrgghh! :P

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  7. @Not Quite Nigella, I find I enjoy my meal more when I'm not expecting a great meal, which means I should visit less hyped places more like Fiorini's! :)

    By the way, it was nice meeting you at Earl Canteen tonight, it was a pleasant surprise finding you there. :D

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