A25 (South Yarra)
720 Chapel Street, South Yarra
03 9826 2233
Italian
$$$
Food
- Caprese Salad
- Polenta Chips
- Fetuccine
- Bim Bam Bum
The Good
We were off to a pleasant start with the Caprese Salad. Topped with a generous helping of prosciutto and fior di latte, the bed of rocket underneath was well dressed with a pesto sauce that brought out tonnes of flavour. Coupled with juicy tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil, this salad certainly didn’t disappoint, though everything could’ve been a tad fresher.
The Mediocre
The Polenta Chips didn’t impress unfortunately. The chips were dense and limp, far from the soft and fluffy texture we were looking for. The earthy and creamy beetroot aioli though certainly helped the cause and was perhaps the best part of this entree.
The Bad
The Fetuccine was downright tragic. We found the sauce unbelievably bland and lacking in any sort of spice or flavour, and honestly any jar of sauce off the supermarket shelf would’ve rivalled this tasteless base. The pasta didn’t care any better, with bits clumping together and sparsely coated with sauce. With scarcely any seafood dotted around the dish that were chewy and rubbery, this has got to be the worst pasta we’ve had for a long while.
Our Bim Bam Bum Pizza was simply disgusting. The scarce toppings were definitely a warning sign for things to come. On top of our pizza sat a handful of slices of pancetta, a minuscule number of peas, even less prawns. However this was apparently remedied by an overwhelming amount of truffle mayo that was most definitely lacking in truffle. The sheer amount of mayonnaise masked anything and everything, and made for an eggy, slightly sour pizza. Vile.
The Verdict
This has to be the worst Italian we’ve had to date. While we’ve visited A25 a few years ago and enjoyed our meal, it’s clear that in recent times, their standard has slipped so far that the “Italian” influences that was once the cornerstone of this little eatery are no longer recognisable.
It’s truly a disgrace to the cuisine itself by labelling these mayo-filled pizza and tasteless, clumpy pasta as “Italian”, because these dishes are just so far devoid of their Italian heritage.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Absolutely not. It’s evident the crowds agree and are long gone, leaving a lonely, deserted venue.
Save yourself a few bucks and order some Dominos or La Porchetta if you are after cheap and nasty food that vaguely resembles Italian cooking.
Penguineats dined complimentary of A25 South Yarra.