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By: Penny Modra
Date: 25th Jul 07
Venue: Eatery
Meal: Lunch
What:
Journal Canteen
When:
Mon-Fri 12-3.45pm
Where:
Level 2, 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Contact:
9650 4399 (asked to be transferred to the Canteen)
You may not have topped two gents named Sollozzo and McClusky using a revolver taped to the back of a toilet, but lucky for you there’s no need to find such excuses for a trip to Sicily these days. Not now that we have Journal Canteen.
For five weeks now, Rosa Mitchell has been cooking great Sicilian meals for guests every weekday – using the recipes remembered from her childhood. Apart from the view down Centre Place and the bill at the end, the whole experience is like visiting her house for lunch. There’s a small menu that changes every day (think chicken cotoletta with zucchini, tomato and onion, spaghetti conpolpette and buccellato for dessert). There are two Italian whites and two Italian reds on the list. And if you want coffee, forget your fandangled soy chai doo-da requests, you’ll get a strong little espresso from the stovetop.
There are family-sized tables if you know what we mean, and good bread as well. No point getting back from Sicily on an empty stomach, especially when there’s a few things named Moe Green and Brazini to be sorted out in Vegas.