CHEAP EATS: Calabrese charm in the ‘burbs at Minestra
A laid-back and humble family kitchen has Katie Spain going back for more
IT’S Friday night and Prospect is pumping. A corner of it, anyway. Minestra is a cafe by day but Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, it’s all pasta.
It always attracts an in-the-know crowd and as Italian cafes go, it has all the warmth and conviviality of its homeland.
The surrounds are humble but charming and the kitchen has community spirit at heart. The menu is inspired by the fare which owner Sandy Cenin’s Calabrian nonna used to cook.
Sandy uses produce from local gardens. What they can’t find there, they source from Schinella’s local market and fresh fruiterers on Prospect Rd.
Regulars often drop in excess fruit and veg in return for a coffee. Nothing goes to waste. The words “Please take me home” are scrawled on a piece of cardboard, atop a bowl full of lemons and mandies. You’ll find it on the large wooden communal table, piled with magazines and cookbooks. Smaller tables seat groups of two to four.
The menu changes each week but there is always a choice of four pasta dishes.
On the night we visit there’s a pumpkin, sage, gorgonzola and endive option. For carnivores, the gnocchi with lamb ragu, greens and pecorino is a hit. The large, plump, pillowy gnocchi creates the perfect bed for the rich, juicy, melt-in-the-mouth lamb.
It’s been crafted with love and patience and the result is the kind of dish you dream about later. We could have done with a bit more of it though.
A heaving bowl of spaghetti with chunks of guanciale (cured pork cheeks), onion, chilli, passata, pecorino and parsley has flavour and persistent bite.
Or, there’s a generous serving of spaghetti with rosemary, garlic, tomato, chilli, olives and vino – a steal at $18.
Based on appearance and aroma, the lasagne with eggplant, sugo, bechamel, and two cheeses merits a return visit. Dishes are served until they quite literally sell out and each dish has a vegan option.
For the ravenous there’s a selection of “plates” best shared.
It’s the little things that make this dining experience shine. Longstanding staff members serve complimentary olives in sweet little teacups; cutlery and napkins arrive in silver buckets, and art by Genevieve Dawson-Scott fills the walls.
Colouring books are on hand to entertain children.
A small but bright selection of South Australian wines ($37/bottle or $8 by the glass) change regularly – start by the glass as they can be hit and miss. There’s no dessert menu as such (though you’ll find cakes there by day) but if there’s still room, a Calabrese spider or FruChocmilkshake will do the trick.
As suburban restaurants go, Minestra does Italian hospitality proud; laid-back, warm, jovial, tasty, humble, and full of heart. Pity it’s not pasta night every night.
MINESTRA
WHERE: 123 Churchill Rd, Prospect, 7324 9902, minestra.net
OWNER/CHEF: Sandy Cenin
FOOD: Italian, traditional Calabrese style
PRICES: Breakfast $7-$18, lunch $12-$24, pasta night $12-$24
DRINKS: Coffee, tea, juice, beer, cider, wine
OPEN: Wed-Sun 7.30am to 3.30pm (for coffee, breakfast and lunch) and Thurs-Sat 5.30pm to 9pm for pasta night.
ATMOSPHERE: Friendly, laid-back, homey
CROWD: All ages and backgrounds
TRY: Gnocchi, when available
TIP: Keep your eye on social media for regular menu shout-outs
SCORE 8.5/10