La Botte

Great little gem in Willoughby serving up some amazing food. Loved the fact that they had blankets on the chairs for those sitting outside. Pasta 🍝 dishes were delicious and hit the spot! (Or so I’m told by the guests I was with, as I can’t eat gluten) I ordered the garlic prawns 🦐 which was average. I feel like the prawns themselves weren’t the best. Was happy with the mushrooms and garlic oil in the dish. Would go back for a local feed 😊

FOOD TYPE

Italian

FOOD QUALITY

Three of us dined on an unusually (according to the chef) quiet midweek evening in November. We started with a simple but nutritious and colourful Italian Insalata salad ($15) and a serve of hot, buttery garlic bread ($6). That whetted our appetites and got us in the mood for what was to follow, and we weren’t disappointed. For my main course, I choose the “Tortellini ai Funghi”, which is the pasta filled with veal mince, and cooked with mushrooms, cream, shallots and nutmeg. The twins both selected off the specials board: a fettuccine pasta with pork, and a chicken breast with red wine sauce and crunchy seasonal vegetables. All the dishes were outstanding: carefully crafted by a skilful chef who clearly loves his work, and neatly presented to the table on stylish white crockery. My pasta had that melt-in-your mouth smooth texture, nicely complemented with tasty mince. Serving sizes could probably have been a bit bigger but I say that only because the food was so delicious that everyone just wanted more, so there was a bit of scraping around at the end scooping up the last bits from whatever plate still had something left on it. To end, what else but a frothy cappuccino and a creamy tiramisu ($15), which was about the size of the Titanic. Consensus view among our little group was that this was a sensational meal and not a single dish disappointed.

ATMOSPHERE

La Botte has been an institution at 608 Willoughby Rd, near the intersection of Mowbray Rd, for 34 years and it shows. The minute you walk through the door, you’ll get the feeling that you’ve stepped into a place where you’re going to feel welcome and at home. It’s an airy, light and spacious restaurant that’s been tastefully decorated with pics and photos on the clean, white washed walls. Tables are neatly laid with crisp white napery and smart silverware and the ambience is relaxed, casual and cheery. Surprisingly it wasn’t that full, we were probably one of the first to arrive at 6.30pm and by the time we left an hour and a half later, it was only about a third full, although chef told us that it’s usually full most nights and even he expressed surprise about the poor turnout. Probably just an aberration.

SERVICE

Maybe it’s because it wasn’t that full, but the attention we received from the bevvy of pretty Asian waitresses in neat black uniforms, was second to none. They were all helpful, patient and polite and to say that they were efficient was probably an understatement. Orders were promptly taken and dishes came out in a blink of an eye. These guys are clearly as motivated and committed to L.B. as the management are, and they just didn’t miss a beat. And there were plenty of them too, so I imagine that even if it was full, you would still enjoy this kind of flawless service. It was a pleasure to be served by them. In a nice touch to finish off the evening, the chef came around to thank us for our patronage and to enquire how it all went. He even claimed to remember the twins, though it was probably a decade since they were last here.

COMFORT

Tables are packed fairly close together, so I imagine that it were full, it could be slightly claustrophobic, but we were quite happy at a comfy table near the middle of the room. Chairs are a bit low and tables are smallish but since there were three of us at a table for four, that extra space helped. Temp inside was just right for a comfortable and relaxed eve.

MENU

Menu is enclosed in an elegant black leather binder with individual sheets contained in clear plastic sleeves, keeping them clean and hygienic.

TOILETS

Toilets at the back are easy to find. There are separate male and female ones and they’re clean and well provisioned. This is clearly a restaurant where no detail is overlooked and full marks to them for this.

ACOUSTICS

Due to the small turnout, we had no trouble conversing. The carpets and high ceilings also help, but I’m not sure what it would be like if it really got busy and with those tables so close to one another.

COST

We were fortunate to have a $20 Dimmi voucher with us, so that kept or cost down to just under $100 for the three of us. For that we got a single beer, a salad, a serve of garlic bread, three mains, a single dessert and a single coffee. Without the voucher it would have cost us $117, but if you go the full monty, with drinks, starters, desserts and coffee and no voucher, you should be prepared to pay around $45-50 a head. Not the cheapest place in town but then you are undoubtedly getting a superior dining experience.

BOOKING

I would advise booking for any night of the week because by all accounts L.B. is much loved by the locals and is generally well patronised.

PARKING/ACCESS

There’s easy street parking in nearby Frenchs Rd, where restrictions end at 6.00pm. You may even be lucky to get a spot on Willoughby Rd, but generally parking is not a problem around here in the evening.

SUMMARY

We had a most enjoyable evening here and everything went off smoothly, starting with an easy booking with Dimmi. Food was delicious, service was outstanding and the ambience was homely, relaxed and comfortable. This place hums like a well-oiled machine and their professionalism and experience shines through. Parking is a breeze too. Just be prepared to pay a little bit more than you usually would, but it’s worth it. As they say on their own website:

“La Botte Strives to provide its patrons with fresh, traditional home style Italian cooking with friendly and efficient service allowing customers to feel at home when they come and dine in.”

Well done guys: I’ll drink to that!

Food and service are good. I thought pasta portion sizes were way too small. Prices also high.

Perfectly cooked hearty Italian food. Great atmosphere and very reasonable price. We are disappointed we didn’t eat here years ago. We will be back for sure.

Absolutely delicious. We had the Papardelle with slow cooked lamb ragu, the penne al pesto and for dessert the tiramisu. The food is fresh and full of flavour and the service was friendly and efficient. We will be back soon.