Lamore - 3 stars

I recently moved house. It’s an older place, built before the times of 6 Star energy ratings and mandatory water efficiency.

But by god, stepping under that old-fashioned shower head is such a guilty pleasure. Sure, a five-minute shower may lead to a visible drop in Victoria’s water table, but it feels SO DAMN GOOD.

Eating at Lamore feels a bit like having an old-fashioned shower. The pizzas and pasta here aren’t what you’d find in those modern, gourmet pizzerias –  where minimalism is king, expenses are high and the Glycaemic Index  of the sour-dough bases is low. Oh no.  Not here.

At Lamore, which indeed almost feels as though you are stepping back in time – or certainly a few train stations to a suburban pizzeria of your childhood – oil is king, expenses are low and there are more
refined carbs in those thick pizza bases and slightly overcooked pastas than a triple cheese and bacon burger. But they taste SO DAMN GOOD.

There is no pretence at Lamore and what they offer clearly works. Located across from NAB on the corner of Harbour Esplanade and Bourke Street, the place is always packed and the upstairs function area is very popular with larger corporate groups.  Boasting “a completely authentic Italian experience” with a “superb wine selection” at reasonable prices is slightly stretching it (their website doesn’t even contain a wine list and the glasses I’ve had there would be more accurately described as reasonable and in line with your expectations of such a venue). But every meal I’ve had there has been bursting with flavour, ingredients … and oil. Mmm.  Yummy.

On my most recent excursion, I tried the Tagliatelle Porcini – porcinis cooked with shallots and garlic and finished with pieces of fresh tomato. There was no hunting for mushrooms in amongst the mass of pasta here. The serving was generous, the flavour was rich and the fresh tomatoes just managed to cut through the oil.

My companion tried the Spaghetti Lamore – whole prawns, mushrooms and shallots cooked with parmesan, fresh tomato and Napoli sauce, topped with more fresh parmesan. The prawns were fat and I think there was a healthy glug of wine in there too, which almost dominated the dish, but not in a bad way.

Previous tries of the Penne Al Tonno – a fancy tuna pasta cooked with chunks of tuna, spring onions, black olives, capers and Napoli sauce, as well as the Tagliatelle al Salmone – also containing generous chunks of fish, but cooked in garlic, shallots and a tomato and white-wine sauce, have also been satisfying – and maybe it was something about the seafood, but they also felt slightly less “heavy”.

The pizzas are heavy – no matter which way you go. There’s a traditional and a gourmet selection, but the gourmet offerings don’t differ too much from what you’d find on most standard pizza menus of your fancier pizzerias. They are all thoroughly recommended if you’re looking to address a hangover, or are just having a “to hell with the waistline” kind of day.

If you’re requesting parmesan – be sure to request it fresh, otherwise a bowl of the crusty powder stuff will appear.

What you see is what you get at Lamore, so if what you see is what you feel like, you certainly won’t be disappointed.