Eating Melbourne

Lygon St used to be the place to go for authentic Italian. Sadly these days most of the restaurants there are overpriced tourist traps. To get real Italian food, you now need to go a little off the beaten path… in Journal Canteen’s case, this means finding a mezzanine level in the CAE library on Flinders Lane. (Walk in, turn right past the Journal Cafe, and go up the stairs.)

When you get there, you discover the kind of decor that is politely described as “modest”. It’s actually very evocative of that fabulously daggy cafe fitout that you find all over Italy – the sort where the family that owns the cafe did a “modern refit” in the early 70s, complete with laminex, fluorescent lighting and chrome chairs, and sees no reason to change 30 years later. I just love it.

It has a great view of Flinders Lane and Centre Place. I really did feel a bit like I was in Europe.

The chalkboard menu is simple, brief, and changes daily, with an antipasto plate, four choices for mains (all around the $20 mark) and a featured dessert.

I chose the lasagne but it had sold out, so my next choice was the veal shank with risoni pasta:

I don’t often order shanks, as my partner has a fabulous recipe that most restaurant shanks don’t compare to. I think this one gave him a run for his money. The meat was falling gooily off the bone, with a delicious gravy.

My partner ordered the roast chicken, which was fabulously juicy and lemony and herby, served rustically with a few potatoes on the plate:

We were also given a simple salad to share – just some iceberg lettuce and fennel with olive oil vinaigrette.

The meal was very filling but we were intrigued by the dessert of the day, a “sweet ravioli”, so we ordered one to share. (Andy, one of the chefs, is a mate of my brother’s so he gave us an extra one. Thanks Andy!)
The sweet ravioli was a deep fried pastry, filled with ricotta and sultanas. Not exactly health food but very very tasty.

Journal Canteen is a really tasty and well-priced lunch in the CBD and I’m looking forward to visiting again soon.