A blistering 35+ degree day did not stop us from satisfying our Italian food cravings. The Italian Bistro in Birrong Sports Club came recommended from others as the place to go for pretty decent Italian food, and it did not disappoint. It has a very relaxing outdoor seating space on one of their lawn bowl fields, which was great for social distancing and catching the sunset.

Location: 100 Gascoigne Rd, Birrong NSW 2143
Price varies per dish, around $50 for 2 people not including drinks
Website: http://theitalianbistro.com.au/

James: 4 out of 5 – The Italian Bistro has become a new local (for me) italian spot for when I’m craving a more premium pizza and for pasta.

The pizza came from their special menu for the day and I’ve unfortunately forgotten the name! But it was delicious with generous amounts of toppings – garlic, grilled chicken, zucchini, oyster mushrooms and plenty of parmesan cheese. The base was thin, light and crispy, perfect so that we didn’t overload on carbs and were able to easily finish it between 2 people (although heavy eaters can finish one themselves). It cost around $25 so much more than your local pizza joint or chain but worth it for the fresh ingredients and taste.

For pasta, we got the Ragu with linguine (you get to choose the type of pasta you want) which cost $26. The lingune itself was al dente, and serving size could have been a bit bigger for the cost but we can’t complain. Served with slow cooked beef cheek ragu which was very tender and cooked in a light Napoletena sauce. I won’t bore you with my attempt to try to describe the taste but comparing it to pastas we’ve had elsewehere, it didn’t live up. Overall the dish was still decent and the linguine really saved the day, but we’ll be trying something else from their wide range of pastas next time.