Allegra Dining | Waterloo

We enjoyed the long lunch 5 course menu at Allegra Dining in Waterloo. It was a relaxing experience at an intimate venue boasting large floor to ceiling windows that makes the whole restaurant feel cosy, yet large and clinical at the same time. If we were to summarise this dining experience it would be exceptional service with incredible food.

Allegra Dining is opened from Tuesday to Sunday with different menus for lunch, dinner and on the weekend (especially their Sunday long brunch). Allegra Dining opened early last year and brings amazing dishes to the table with a unique childhood memory attached to each one. They aspire to standardize the "long lunch" because there is no excuse to rush eating great food. This puts the control back into the hands of the experts, the chefs, who serve you only the best on their menu. Every ingredient is freshly made and all produce is sourced locally - keep an eye out for the seasonal dishes as well.

Focaccia, Whipped Olive Oil Butter, Smoked Salt 
This focaccia was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The whipped olive oil butter felt light and addition of the smoked salt made this the perfect way to start our long lunch experience.

Rock Oyster, Hendricks Gin & Tonic Granita, Cucumber 
The first course of the evening was a small serving of rock oysters. Coated in Hendricks Gin, Tonic Granita and served with a thin slice of cucumber, it was like you were eating shot of spirits. We enjoyed the dynamic the flavours provided, and the cucumber gave it a nice, soothing element to cleanse the palette. Definitely a great way to start the 5 course meal!

Proscuitto, Fig, Croutons, Buffalo Mozzarella with Red Wine Sauce  
The second course landed on our table with such grace. It's never just a salad is it, this fresh salad was hiding so many textures and elements under the proscuitto as we found pieces of sweet figs, croutons and mozzarella. This was an exceptional dish that was surprisingly sweet in comparison to when we have tried this dish several times before, it was a very welcomed change. The difference being the red wine sauce rather than the typical store bought balsamic vinegar.
Watercress Rigatoni, Tomato, Olives and Stracciatella 
 The third course and our most favourite course of the long lunch was this rigatoni dish. It was seriously good. The rigatoni was cooked al dente and whilst this dish appeared quite simple, the taste was amazing. It was the first time we tasted watercress rigatoni, so really had no expectation, especially because we didn't think that we would notice a difference. However the freshly made pasta had a bounce in it's texture that regular pasta wouldn't otherwise have produced. The tomato sauce had chunks of tomato throughout which we love. It's so good when you are eating a dish and are surprised with a burst of sweet flavour from the tomato. Served with stracciatella and dished kalmatta olives, be sure to mix everything together and tell your partner to not try it... so you can enjoy this dish all by yourself *evil laugh*

Roast Chicken Alla Diavola, Pesto Calabrese, Lemon
Capsicum lovers rejoice as you have found your match. The chicken was cooked well, still holding the juices of the marinade beneath the skin and as we were taking the pictures, it started to form it's own jus on our plate. You would think that this would have been more than enough right.. well it gets better! The chicken was served with a side of pesto calabrese which was exploding with bold capsicum flavours and took the dish to another level.


 
Tiramisu with Amadei Chocolate 
Where to start with this dish... it's probably best to mention that we generally think Tiramisu can be too sweet, dry and just a bit over indulgent at times. There are too many restaurants who claim that mixing together chocolate syrup, cream and biscotti is a tiramisu. 

Allegra Dining has re-lit the fire in our hearts when we see a Tiramisu, but it hurts us to know that none will be like theirs. First thing you will notice is there is no chocolate syrup dripping down the sides, that's because Allegra Dining buys their chocolate from a small store in the Blue Mountains and tempers the chocolate to create a paper thin layer, holding together the biscotti layers. The cream used is just enough to make sure the tiramisu wasn't dry as a result and it is finished with a firm layer of poprock candy that is coated with chocolate dust. Everytime we ate a bite, youwould be welcomed with the soft texture from the biscotti, then a nice firm crunch of the chocolate and finished with popping explosions in your mouth.

 
  
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