Wednesday’s have become the perfect day for catching up with girlfriends! We had actually planned to go somewhere else in the area, however after arriving to a closed restaurant, we were on the hunt for something nearby that was warm and had delicious wine. We started walking down Smith Street and quickly arrived at Meatball & Wine Bar. We’ve both been to the one in the city and Richmond, so why not hit up a third. It was well after 2pm by the time we arrived so was praying the kitchen was still open for a bite to eat.
ATMOSPHERE & SERVICE
Arriving just after 2pm and being the only ones there, we weren’t sure if the kitchen was still open or not. It was our lucky day, the kitchen was still open so we popped ourselves down at the front window where it was nice and warm and ordered a few dishes to go with our full bodied glass of red.
The interior is dimly lit with rustic dark wooden floors, exposed brick walls and a few scattered plants throughout. The impressive bar, which is the same length as the restaurant, is where you would find guests sitting to enjoy a meal or just a drink.
The service was friendly and of course very attentive since we were the only table there.
FOOD
Now coming from an Italian background, it’s very hard to find anything close to Nonna’s meatballs, however these were pretty tasty (but not as good as Nonna’s!). For those who haven’t been, the menu is broken down for you to order your meatballs to your liking. First you pick the meat, then the sauce and then what you want the meatballs to sit on (mash potatoes, veggies, etc.). We decided to just get a few dishes and share between the two of us.
We started with the ‘Prosciutto di San Daniele’ served with beautiful focaccia bread. I am a lover of San Daniele prosciutto so thought it was a must to order.
With cured meats, you always need cheese. So next up was the AMAZING ‘Mozzarella di Bufalo’ drizzled with EVOO and served with focaccia. This has to be one of the better serves of mozzarella I’ve been able to find in Melbourne.
Quick to follow were the hearty meatballs. We decided to go with ‘Beef Meatballs’ with red sauce and mashed potatoes. Each serve is 3 balls, a generous amount of tomato sauce and a mountain of potatoes. The meatballs were well seasoned, the sauce had a hint of sweetness and the mash potatoes were oh so creamy. Definitely hit the spot on a cold Melbourne day.
Although we couldn’t get in to our first pick for lunch, I was pleased to have stumbled across the Collingwood Meatball & Wine bar. I actually loved that we were the only ones there, as it made the perfect setting for us to catch up on some much needed gossip.