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Alan K | all galleries >> Melbourne >> The Foodie And Theatre Tour, June 2015 > 20150624_008119 Not For The Shy Or The Full
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24-Jun-2015 AKMC

20150624_008119 Not For The Shy Or The Full

Pellegrini's Bar, Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD, Vic

"THIS place? Compared to those luxurious, hatted restaurants that you discussed in the previous shot you want to go to THIS place?"

Yup. Though we didn't on this day; we didn't get back here until Friday.

Pellegrini's has been here for 61 years as of 2015, and is still under original ownership.

The tiled floor with the square pattern looks like it originally belonged to a barber store. There are no chairs and tables, just stools alongside a bar which make the place look like Humphrey Bogart may come in at any time to order a cup of coffee while looking for a statue of a falcon.

There are no menus. The menu is made up of signature Italian dishes in wooden blocks on one of the walls.

But it is not the visual atmosphere that you will recall.

Us, unsure of the ordering procedure: "We haven't been here before."

Owner: "Why not, what kept you??"

Us: "We only found out about you yesterday."

"Oh, that's OK then! But why weren't you here yesterday??"

This followed by us being given some bread (twice, in fact), being served large plates of some of the most authentic tasting, home-made Italian food yet encountered outside of an actual Italian home, servings of dessert which you can't say no to whether you want it or not and which, if you love Italian cooking and are not loaded to the back teeth already, you don't even WANT to say "no" to, and near endless conversation with the host which is a pretty impressive skill given that he talks to every other patron in the place at the same time.

If you just want to sit and quietly have a sandwich for lunch, this is not the place for you. If you want the authentic Italian dining experience, loud, friendly and hearty, then for 61 years this has been the place for you.

It's not a question of if I return, but when. And it will be a day when I skip breakfast.


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