Stepping into Farina 00 Pasta and Wine on King William Road, we were greeted by a clean, white aesthetic and minimalist interior, with aptly positioned pasta in large crates decorating the windowsill. Beside the pasta crates sat the machine in which Farina use to make their pasta in-house, ensuring the freshest quality of locally produced pasta that you might not find in other restaurants. Now, being the pasta fanatics that we are, we were immediately won over by this and couldn’t wait to test out some of their pasta.
Clean, minimalist aesthetic of Farina
The past machine Farina uses to make their pasta in-house
Crates of pasta at Farina
However, after being seated and introduced to the menu by the lovely Daniela who was taking care of us that day, we soon found out that Farina is not just a place for pasta. Our first entree was some soft, fresh bread from Boulangerie 113 located on 113 Goodwood Road. Served with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and rosemary, this bread sourced from a local bakery was a great starter and very typical of a good Italian restaurant.
Bread entree
Daniela then brought out a delicious antipasto platter compiled of produce sourced from Italian specialty goods store Mercato – a store in which we were already well acquainted with. The platter included a selection of antipasti, charcuterie and cheese such as pistachio salami, wagyu beef, smoked pancetta, provolone, stuffed Sicilian olives, Kalamati olives and bocconcini. We loved mixing and matching the items, and would highly recommend ordering it as a share platter to begin your Farina experience with friends.
Antipasto platter
We also tried a flavoursome stuffed capsicum which was, to our surprise, a highlight of the lunch. Not being the biggest stuffed capsicum fans, this dish was a whole different story, combining parsley, rocket, mint, parmesan and loads of other good stuff to create a soft, doughy stuffing that was both textually and tastefully pleasing. More often than not, a stuffed capsicum is very strong in flavour with the capsicum often overpowering the flavour of the stuffing (hence the reason why it is not a common favourite of ours), however, this dish presented an impeccable balance in flavour with the sweet capsicum exterior being rather subtle in taste.
Stuffed capsicum
Our first main was a Gigli pasta dish containing porcini, shiitake and king oyster mushrooms, truffle oil, thyme, a dash of cream and grated truffle cheese on top. This vegetarian dish is simply a winner due to it’s fulfilling creaminess and richness of flavour. Meat-lovers won’t even notice the lack of meat in this one as the mix of mushrooms and truffle makes the dish super substantial. And, despite richness, we still felt like we could eat this pasta for days.
Gigli mushroom pasta
We had the pleasure of also tucking into Farina’s tender Porchetta: slow cooked pork belly served on polenta. Gluten free and juicy, this pork belly went down a treat, and the use of polenta as a base worked well for texture and to add a little something more to the meat.
