Rococo

We ventured to St Kilda for the first time to find an eating spot on spec. A busy and disjointed Saturday meant we missed lunch so we decided to do ' dunch' (as opposed to 'brunch') - a late lunch/early dinner, arriving at St Kilda just after 4 pm.

St Kilda has tones of San Souci and Bondi with a touch of Kings Cross. The bay (what were they thinking when they called it St Kilda Beach?) is flat, open and windy, the local residents represent the full section of life and traditional eating spots are intertwined with cool wine bars and restaurants.

We chose Rococo, an Italian bistro and wine bar. Sitting inside, you look up and see trams flashing by at such speed, it takes us newcomers to Melbourne by surprise.

Location: Rococo - 87-89 Acland Street, St Kilda

Food
We started our meal with garlic bread that was pretty delicious, probably because we were ravenously hungry. We chose different meals for main.

Tori enjoyed her choice of Gnocchi Bolognese. The gnocchi was soft and moist while the sauce was like the stuff we make at home, rich and tomatoey. Lauren's Margarita Pizza had a crust that was deliciously crisp and crunchy although the topping had too much cheese and was slightly oily. Morgan's Pizza Veneto was excellent although again, just slightly over oiled. Not the best pizza he's ever had, but still good.

Melinda and Mark shared a blanco pizza with a topping of prawns, zucchini and mozzarella with a touch of lemon and chilli oil, which they both enjoyed. Although the base was thin and crisp, it lacked that yeasty taste that separates 'ok' from 'really good' pizzas. They also shared a rocket, tomato and feta salad that was passable, the rocket being a bit stringy. The matching wine was excellent.

The service was sporadic depending on who you got to deal with. Some staff were friendly and willing to go out of their way. Others were on rote. They also shoved us down the back even though we asked to be closer to the front so we could get a better view of the trams and people.

Value for money
It was a little on the expensive side so not sure we'd be rushing back. We did spy Karen Martini's Mr Wolf Cafe and Wine bar around the corner in Inkerman Str and we will definitely return to try this one. Karen is one of Melinda's cooking heros and the Good Food Guide has given Mr Wolf an excellent review. The roast garlic pizza sounds like a must try. Karen also runs the Melbourne Wine Room close by in Fitzroy St. We are waiting for Tim and Michelle to visit so we can try this strictly grown up venue out with them.

Overall rating: 6.5/10

After dunch we ventured down to the beach?? seeing the Melbourne version of Luna Park?? and the famous Palais Theatre (bring back Hunters & Collectors) on the way. We also spotted the national surf kiting championship - what a scene.

Walking back along Fitzroy St we found Fitzgerald's Icecream and the pannacotto with raspberry was too delicious for words.