TL;DR: This is one hell of a find for a number of reasons. Getting the most important aspect about it out of the way, the food is quite possibly second-to-none within the area, and goes just as much for taste as it does the quality of the fare given. On top of all of that, it is hard to believe it but this is an inner city place that happens to find itself smack in the middle of the eastern suburbs and in saying this is an inner city place, Osteria Epoca could well mix with the best of them, coming out quite strong and solid.
Like taking a key part of what Italian dining is, whomever designed Osteria Epoca has found the link often overlooked by many of the great locations for Italian dining that is ever apparent in the country itself. That is the aspect of it being down to the setting, and that is a rustic homeliness that is easy to spot, tricky to design, but ultimately rewarding. This is being said, since it could be any corner store or coffee bar along a suburban street, but hiding right inside here is a gem
Possibly by coincidence and whatnot, the plan for coming here was right the weekend after the last one was an Italian place for breakfast. From my house mate/dining buddy merely reading the menu, he knew that this was the place to try out; it hit many of the check points such as being relatively local, that it was open for breakfast, and that it ultimately looked like a good place. So on the Sunday morning, it was to another awakening that it was heading off to here for a spot of breakfast.
From the get-go, the expectations that I had for this place were pretty good - though often most places I go in wit the best intentions and goodwill, so that might not be saying much right there. However, with it being right in the middle of the Eastern suburbs, and along an otherwise kind of plain stretch of road, from the first glance to walking all the way back into the courtyard out the back it was one of the most amazing finds yet this year, and it not only sits well with some of the best Italian around town, it could well have been within the suburbia (or the equivalent over there) of an Italian town. The lovely aesthetics aside, all of it comes to a head with the food. The fact that I just said it sits well with some of the best Italian around town should be indicative of that.
The whole design of the place is something to adore. It is a pretty big place, taking up at least three different shop fronts, and in combining them together, each part has its slightly different characteristics which in the end melds together to have a welcoming and homely aesthetic. The entrance part is very much like the local corner store (this part doubles as a bit of a delicatessen; you can find a range of delicacies right here to buy over the counter), and the touch of a coffee machine facing the sidewalk shows good planning and attention to detail. Going further in, the design is lush on the inside going for a bit of romance, and right out the back, it is like a hidden gem. The greenery gives it a fresh and cool atmosphere, plus it is pretty nifty if you don't mind being within the nitty-gritty of the outer area of the kitchen - in which more kudos is given here, since it was spotless from the views of the swinging door - there is something charming about the more gritty aesthetic here. Overall, a few different styles that are characteristically Italian sum up its appeal succinctly.
Matching up to the immaculate design of the place is the service. And you are in for some good service here. It is at a fairly small level on the quantity and abundance aspects, however in between those times they manage to balance it out well, time it precisely, and through that it is able to be balance out between the many clients that they will inevitably get throughout the day. From the moment that you step in the door, you are welcomed with open arms. Next, they ask you if you want inside or outside - my dining buddy went with outside. Normally, what would happen would be to go on the pavement out the front - but we were directed to the back with the courtyard, and this is the aspect which changed the perception entirely - went from a pretty good Italian place, to the aforementioned analogy at the beginning.
And all of this is tied together with the food, which is Italian all the way. Plus, for the most part, it is reasonable in price. Starting off it has a modest selection of items for breakfast, going with a mixture of hot and continental. The next lot of sections on the menu are different kinds of tapas including salumi, and matinari - small plates served with bread, plus aperitivo, and in a similar fashion there is several bits of antipasti.
At lunch time, the options are still small in selection with a few kinds of pasta, some salads, and paninis. But it all is brought right home when it comes to dinner time. Still keeping it fairly modest, just giving it a read indicates that then is their time to shine. The menu reads like a proper Italian meal, going from antipasti, to primi and ending off with secondi; that is not to mention the big cabinet they have that is full of different kinds of sweets and such. There is good, solid selection of pastas, and the main courses are substantial and meaty, plus they can be added to with the sides. But if it is all too hard deciding what to have, than the banquets to share are the go for four or more people.
And at last, there is the drinks. At breakfast time it is normally the teas and coffees, plus some juices, and for the rest of the day, they have various wines, beers, cocktails, vodkas, and Italian sodas among many others. The selection is extensive, and you are in good hands right here whatever the case.
Well, it is breakfast time so the first step is well known by now - no matter what the place. That is none other than getting the drinks, and by that it is the coffees as always. For two big reasons, it had to start out on a good note with the coffee. The first being obvious that it is an Italian place, and the second one is that the coffee is courtesy of Veneziano - which more often than not manage to produce a good cup of coffee. Any kind of worry that might have been implied there can be safely laid to rest.
This came to be another place where I was pretty certain what I was going to order before I even walked in the door. As always, I give the possibly of a tempting special being out there or the menu changing between times, but this time around it all went down well. Albeit the variety might have been tweaked with what was read online to what was there, but the important factor is that they had the breakfast gnocchi as an option. This was mixed with panceta, pecerino cheese, and kale with a poached egg on top. Asking for that poached soft was the necessary and recommended touch, as the yolk contributed to the sauce, making it tad richer.
The gnocchi itself was plump and delicious. It was cooked to a good consistency, where it was getting soft but still had a nice chew to it, and the texture allowed the sauce to stick to it. Additionally, the amount of pancetta in the sauce was generous, and it had flavour that was both smoky and salty, mixed well with the sharp pecerino and well salted kale. Mix it together with one of the softest and most tender eggs, and this is what I call a real winner. Even so, with the portion it did not look immediately so big, though it was not a modest size either, it was filling enough, and the bits and pieces of food on the plate were substantial and satiated the stomach effectively.
I also got a bit of my dining buddy's bacon, and this was some of the best bacon that is around town. The key to it - by hearsay of one of the owners himself - is that it is done in house. It was not only that, but both the taste and the thickness of the bacon made it something else - in fact, what it resembled was more of a piece of kassler. The marbling on the pork was second to none, the flavour was salty and sharp, and the texture was good and thick alongside its tenderness.
Tossing up afterwards, I realised that there was nowhere else to be in the day, so it was on to another coffee to try it out. Just to make sure that it was a legit effort, and that second coffee was just as good as the first. It was smooth, it had a good flavour to it, and the presentation was excellent. This was also the avenue to something else; it is around now that I have decided the real way to see if an Italian place is worth its salt, and that comes at the end. With the coffee, it is always nice for a meal to come to a head with another coffee - so that is always a good addition; but what really can bring it home is how the treat the good old canolli. What is safe to say is that we are in good hands here.
Maybe it was a tad soft, and could have been a little fresher in parts, but overall the canolli did what it usually manages to do. The pastry was redeemed with a thick layer of dark chocolate in the middle, and a creamy vanilla custard filling. Instead of going for the usual cigar shape, it was in the form of an ice cream cone - so that is something quite different. And with that, a good note is being ended on and a guess can be hazarded that plenty of good times are ahead right here.
What we have right here, is another gem within the area that is just waiting to be discovered. Some places around this time might still be ironing out kinks and have a sense of being green to them, but this is an exception. They have arrived with all of the knowledge back-to-front, like the back of their hand, and as a result they should already be off to a great start. I very much felt welcome here, and it more than gets the tick of approval for all the right reasons.
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