Mio Locale

Located on the quieter end of Brunswick Street is Mio Locale (which translates to ‘My Local’), a little gem of a cafe and restaurant in a newly renovated space. Sporting concrete walls and shiny black-tiled tables, Mio Locale gives off an industrial vibe, however trust us when we say the food is a throwback to traditional Italian feasts!

Launched recently, the family-owned Mio Locale has a dedicated Sunday Feast menu (‘La cucina povera’), a four-course dining experience, available on the last Sunday of every month. The concept is a homage to the big cook ups that sibling owners Emily and Maurice Paladino had in their younger days. 

Starting up with a share platter, we had the choice of a variety of cured meats, complimented by both soft and hard cheeses and pickled vegetables. This serves for some good grazing as you begin with a glass of wine! We then had the Pipi e patati, with peppers and potatoes sitting on top of a healthy serving of bread. The softer textures of the peppers sit nicely with the crunchy bread.

For the first course, we were served the Calabrian filei with pork and beef ragu. The Calabrian filei is a type of pasta unlike any we’ve previously had, as they are long bite sized portions of pasta that soak up a good amount of the flavours in the pasta sauce. Eaten with a big chunk of pork and beef ragu, topped with some parmesan and you have a simple and satisfying dish! We had this all the while sipping on the Le Moire Annibale Calabrian Rosso and were beginning to settle into a lazy Sunday. 

You’d be forgiven for thinking the first course was the main, however to our delight next came the Cotoletta (chicken) served with Italian Coleslaw. Forgive us but we only mean it positively by saying that this was a fancy chicken schnitzel! Crumbed perfectly, the crunch is delightful. 

We finished with the Peasant Doughnuts, using a heavier batter with a crispy surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. This dessert was accompanied with a vanilla bean custard which suited an otherwise savoury doughnut. 

Priced at $45 (excluding drinks), the Sunday Feast (from 1pm - 3pm) is definitely value for money! Pay a visit to Mio Locale which is located at 465 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. 

Location: 465 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy North

Phone: 03 9489 4747

Link: www.miolocale.com.au

Cuisine: Cafe, Italian