You are spoilt for choice when in Melbourne’s inner north. Whether you are smack-bang in the middle of Lygon Street, towards Victoria Street in Brunswick West or on Lygon Street in Brunswick East… what more could you want? But Figlia Brunswick East is in a league of its own. It’s not often that there is a place that really stops you in your tracks and beckons you to come back. After all, there are so many other new places to try. When dining at Figlia Brunswick East one Monday evening, our table ordered the Chef’s menu, and it did not disappoint. Here’s our review of this fabulous Italian restaurant in Brunswick East.
The vibe at Figlia Brunswick East
We visited Figlia Brunswick East just as the weather was starting to cool, and so the warm, inviting space at Figlia Melbourne was exactly what we were looking for. It’s a modern and chic look and feel inside, with forest green accents as their primary brand colour. We were seated by the window, which is always fun to people watch on Sydney Road. The staff seemed really confident with the menu and were able to easily answer questions about specials and what dishes could be adjusted for dietary requirements. One of our party members was dairy and gluten free, so we hoped that would be ok given that Figlia’s Italian cuisine. We were in luck!
The Figlia menu
Ok, now let’s get to the good stuff: the Figlia menu, which you can find on their website. The specials on the night we dined were delicious, seasonal and could be enjoyed as a group or as one. We all had our eyes on something and decided that the Chef’s Menu was the best option for our table, and looked to be great value at $70 per person. The chef’s menu at Figlia Brunswick includes “a selection of snacks, shared small plates and a choice of pizza with a salad”.
A couple of members from our party had allergies and intolerances, which were easily accommodated by the chefs, and most of the dishes had adjustments for those members. For example, instead of mascarpone, the dairy-free people have a cashew cream, which was unbelievable and had a very similar consistency.
Here are some of the dishes we had at the Figlia restaurant.
If those Figlia photos have converted you, then be sure to check out this absolute gem of an Italian restaurant in Brunswick East for yourself.
Figlia pizza
Eating Italian food out can be tricky when you don’t know whether to have the pasta, the pizza or lasagna. But if we could, we strongly recommend giving the pizza a go. The Figlia pizzas are wood-fired right there in the restaurant, and the smell that rolls through the venue is divine. There are eleven pizzas to chose from, and gluten-free pizza bases are available as well as vegan cheese. Choosing one of the pizzas was difficult, but we landed on the Nduja: spicy pork sugo, bullhorn peppers, mozzarella and anchovy.
Here are the rest of the Figlia pizza on the menu:
- Napoletana – marinara, anchovy, capers
- Margherita — tomato, mozzarella, basil
- Cavolo nero — stracciatella, fermented cabbage, chilli
- Amatriciana — pancetta, heirloom tomato, fontina
- Nduja — spicy pork sugo, bullhorn peppers, mozzarella, anchovy
- Salame — cured pork, pepperberry, tomato, fior di latte
- Polpo – baby octopus, radicchio, lovage
- Salsiccia – duck sausage, kipfler potato, caramelised onion
- Broccolo – charred broccolini, fior di latte, goats cheese, confit chilli
- Lonza – smoked lonza, kale, braised greens, fior di latte
- Funghi — porcini + portobello mushrooms, mozzarella, taleggio
If it was not obvious, our Figlia review is a pretty strong one. This Italian restaurant deserves a spot on your list of places to try. Be sure to choose the chef’s menu if you want a sampling of their menu and try the pizza, too. Be sure to check out our other Melborne food reccomendations.
