Brisbane restaurant takeaway: 1889 Enoteca, Woolloongabba

Gnocchi, pappardelle, saltimbocca, insalata, pannacotta. Drooling yet? This beloved Brisbane institution had adapted to the times, but it’s takeaway offering is still the same mouth-watering affair.

The Rome-centric Italian food at 1889 Enoteca has become an indelible part of Brisbane dining.

In fact my wife has had a long-lasting affair with its gnocchi: she has a far greater affinity for Italian food than I ever will but, even so, this sits right at the top of her pile.

Enoteca, like so many of the more fortunate and adaptable of our hard-pressed restaurants, has moved to takeaway: food, obviously, but also wines from its expansive, well curated list of Italians. And those wines are at good, generous, retail prices.

1889 Enoteca, 10-12 Logan Rd, Woolloongabba.

So, naturally, I order the gnocchi. And pappardelle, and saltimbocca, and insalata, and (yes, me) pannacotta for dessert.

I’ll begin with dessert, because it’s worth explaining. But first, the ordering process.

1889 Enoteca opens at 5pm, you can order online from 4.30pm, or make a call around the same time after which it’s an easy pick-up. There is no delivery service.

What pops into your head when you think of pannacotta?

For me, it’s a gelatinised, sweetened cream tipped straight out of the mould and on to

a plate, sometimes with caramel, other times some berries.

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The texture, the wobbly-ness of the pannacotta, is what makes it tick.

The Enoteca version is very different: it could be a Roman thing.

There’s a base of olive-oil cake (just sweet, nicely crumbly) with pretty pink raspberry-infused pannacotta on top, and a big whirl of meringue crowning the whole affair.

The pannacotta at 1889 Enoteca. Picture: supplied

It’s made in a log, and cut – like a trifle – into a cross section.

It’s a clever, delicious, interesting rendition of a classic that can sometimes teeter on boring.

The pasta dishes are excellent, but oh so rich and filling.

As good as the gnocchi is – nicely fluffy pillows, pork and fennel sausage, truffle tapenade and a Parmesan-rich creamy sauce ($30) – it’s the pappardelle ($30) that really lights my wick.

These are thick, wide, maybe 5cm strips of pasta (and whoever is rolling the pasta is a dab hand) cooked with that perfect dichotomy of firmness and pliancy.

Folded through the pasta is a very reduced – almost too much so – pork and beef ragu that I reckon was saved from the stove just a few minutes before burning.

It’s either a perfectly executed, risky endeavour, or a lucky save. Either way … I love it.

1889 Enoteca gnocchi. Picture: supplied

And saltimbocca ($35), done as a gluten-free version, is lovely, classic, perched on a buttery bed of broad beans, peas and artichoke hearts.

It’s good veal, pancetta-wrapped, a few leaves of sage topping things off.

This covers about half of the 1889 Enoteca takeaway menu.

There’s fish, rib on the bone, spaghetti, sides and a couple more desserts, and we know they will be good.

This is a restaurant that has spent the past decade refining its art.

SCORES OUT OF 10

Food: 8

Drinks: 8

1889 Enoteca

10-12 Logan Rd, Woolloongabba

Ph: 3392 4315; 1889enoteca.com.au

Dinner daily, with vegetarian and coeliac/gluten-free options