Cuisine Undercover - Va Bene - 4 Stars

A lot of good things came out of the 1990s. Pearl Jam, for one. Winona Ryder, Clerks and Silent Bob – not to mention Grange vintages 1990, 91, 96 and 98.

It’s almost ironic then, that the same decade to produce the “Best Red Wine in the World” (Penfolds Grange 1990, as voted by Wine Spectator Magazine), was also responsible for popularising one of the worst fads ever to blight the food and wine industry – serving wine in latte glasses.

Thankfully, in most places the phenomena seemed to die out as quickly as wearing flannelette shirts in public. But, just as the occasional good looking farmer sometimes wanders into town still sporting plaid – occasionally, a restaurant that should know better dishes out its wine in these glorified coffee cups.

Va Bene pizzeria e pasta cucina is one of these restaurants. What hurts the most is that I genuinely consider this relative newcomer to Docklands’ dining scene to be one of the best. The food, service, atmosphere and Italian wines are hard to fault – it just brings a tear to my eye every time I direct a drop of one of their light and savoury Italian varieties onto my tongue, and due to the awkward thick lip of the latte glass – it falls to the completely wrong area of my palate!

However, now that’s off my chest, let me focus on all that is good here, which certainly outweighs this one (easily fixable – hint, hint!) oversight.

I first visited Va Bene when it just opened – smack bang in the middle of the L’oreal Fashion Festival and full to over-flowing with beautiful people. I’ve since been many times to find it packed yet not once have the gracious A-Jay, Michael, or any of the floor staff ever appeared flustered or dropped their smiling, “it will all be okay” demeanour. I am neither beautiful not special, but somehow, they always make you feel that way and always sort you out.

“Va Bene” supposedly means “all good” in Italian, and the vibe at Va bene is intended to capture the casual, community feel of a European village. The long, communal tables (and no doubt the latte glasses!) all contribute to this feel, as does the unflappable friendly vibe of the staff.  If communal tables aren’t your thing – don’t worry, a space just big enough to make you feel “separate” to those next to you is provided between groups and is surprisingly effective.

Va Bene certainly filled a gap in Docklands. Not only through literally providing a place to stop and eat in between the promenades of Victoria Harbour and NewQuay / Waterfront City, but through providing a place with unique atmosphere, charm and food. Yes, there’s plenty of pizza to be found in Docklands, but none quite like this. Ex-Mr Wolf chef Marisa Travain keeps things simple and fresh. Vegies and herbs are delivered daily, bread is baked prior to every shift and the home-cooked feel permeates everything from the fresh gnocchi to Italian sauces.

Pizza bases are thin and crisp and while the toppings are never excessive, the flavours combine to create taste sensations. The Pepperoncini is a favourite – the sweetness of baby peppers and caramelised onion is perfectly offset by the savoury bite of tomato, mozzarella and parsley.  The

Salsiccia is a close second, the crumbled chunks of Italian sausage and strong flavours of oregano and fresh chilli, melting into the creamy yet bitey mix of fior di latte, mozzarella and parmesan.

The pastas are also worth a mention. The delightful polpette (veal and beef meatballs) can be found on both a pizza of the same name, and within the spaghetti. The veal ragu gnocchi and the lasagne, which comes in its own terracotta oven dish, are exactly what I imagine people with Italian nonna’s would claim to be “just like nonna used to make”.

The “spuntini”, or light entrée bites are also wonderfully authentic Italian treats. Again, I really do raise my hat to what Va Bene has achieved, but I must sign off with where I began – if I could only reach out for a big, bulbous glass within which to swirl my tasty red and release its true flavours in order to appropriately accompany this top-notch food – it really would be perfect.
Four stars