If a restaurant has been standing for as long as 22 years, they must have done the right thing by their customers. Monte Fiore underwent many changes in the past two years, starting from the decoration until the most important thing that a restaurant always focus on: the food.

I walked past Monte Fiore on Friday night and the restaurant was buzzing with diners so I decided that Tuesday might be a quieter time to enjoy a relaxing dinner. The staff explained to me that the availability of shows at the Astor Theatre would impact on the busyness of the restaurant. In fact, each show that will be played on the theatre will be listed on the staff’s calendar as well.

A glass of lemon lime bitter and Long Island Iced Tea opened the dinner really well. It was then followed by three flavours of arancini which had a very crunchy outer shell. The three flavours were broccoli, mushroom and sweet corn which were tucked inside three different arancini balls. My favourite was the sweet corn one which blended in well with the cheese inside the arancini.

When the owner David Caro approached our table, we asked him about his suggestions on food. He explained each dish so well that it was quite hard to decide on our main meals. I finally decided to order the hand-made pappardelle pasta with pulled beef and Hubby chose the Fettucini ai Frutti di Mare along with the $5 garlic bread.

I had a bit of doubt when the staff said that the main meal would be quite huge but she sure wasn’t kidding! Even the $5 garlic bread came in 3 large slices, of course we couldn’t complain about it since it tasted quite nice.

The beef pappardelle was really delicious and the pulled beef was extremely tender, I could separate each strand easily with my fork. The handmade pasta was cooked al-dente and knowing that it was homemade really enhanced the experience in eating it. I couldn’t finish my pasta so the staff helped me doggy bag half of it which I easily enjoyed during lunch the next day.  

Hubby’s fettucine was very fresh with a combination of seafood on it such as squid, mussels, and scallop. David brought us a small serving of Thai chili to be mixed together with the pasta and it gave a really good kick to the meal.  Hubby felt the size of the scallops and mussels were a bit on the smaller size but he still very much enjoyed his meal.

We finished off the night with a good tiramisu and pannacotta. The Head Chef of Monte Fiore focussed his energy a lot on the dessert menu and the tiramisu made from his grandmother’s recipe tasted so rich and delicious! My spoon was gliding so easily through the feather-light cream and the espresso ladyfingers weren't soggy at all. 

The pannacotta came with heaps of berry compote. It was very enjoyable with lots of berries. The texture was perfect as it wasn’t runny and wasn’t too hard to scoop and take a bite.

Just like its name, Monte Fiore (literal translation: Mount Flower) was decorated with small flowers vases here and there. The restaurant looks cheerful with the light yellow paint occupying the wall. Some colourful glass bottles were hanging on top of the counter while white wooden chairs and tables bounced the light really well to make the room feel brighter.

Born to an artistic family, David Caro grew to appreciate art and so he wished to support local artists as well by letting them showcase their work at the Monte Fiore restaurant. I think their current menu works really well with the combination of Italian and Mediterranean dishes available for customers. I hope they will stay for another 22 years and more, and I can’t wait to see how the team at Monte Fiore develop their menu even more in the future!