Cosi Bar Ristorante

Gastrology recently visited Cosi as part of our partnership with the Australian Good Food Guide. 

Cosi is an intimate and chic Modern Italian eatery in the heart of South Yarra. The kitchen serves delicious Italian cuisine which centres on the preparations of authentic Italian dishes paired with fresh ingredients.

We loved meeting Head Chef and Owner, Peter Boukouras. Beaming with a love of fine food and a passion for creating stunning dishes using quality ingredients, Peter kindly talked us through his amazing journey building Cosi into the reputable and trusted restaurant it is today. 

Our dinner commenced with an entrée of Canadian Scallops, sweet corn, chorizo and harissa - A dish of complex but well balanced flavours.  The scallops were perfectly seared and bursting with natural flavour, a flavour further enhanced by the subtle sweetness of the sweet corn and the restrained savouriness of the chorizo.  

As expected of any good Italian restaurant, Cosi is good at producing quality pasta dishes. The roast eggplant ravioli laced with butter sauce and crispy sage was no exception.  Beneath the layer of superbly cooked pasta was a melt in your mouth amalgamation of unctuous eggplant and taleggio. Simply wonderful.

The mains continued to meet our expectations admirably. 

The fish of the day of crispy skin salmon was cooked to perfection. The dish of 300 gm grass fed sirloin was similarly excellent – a light searing ensured that it was lined with a thin crisp layer packed with caramelised beef flavour.  The meat was intense with a deep earthy richness and texturally it was sublime with a decadent melt in the mouth, almost buttery, consistency.  

After the rollicking ride provided by the savoury courses, the first of our desserts arrived - Chocolate self-saucing pudding, amerena cherry ice cream. The chocolate fondant would have pleased any chocolate love with its rich billowing chocolate centre and slightly crisp cake exterior. The amerena cherry ice cream which accompanied the fondant matched it well and was refreshingly light and fragrant.

Our final course for the evening was the banana semifreddo. Possessing a lovely smooth texture and the right level of sweetness, the semifreddo was well made and bursting with flavour. Each element on the plate was well-executed but the real wow factor came when each was eaten together - absolutely delicious! It was a decadent end to a decadent meal.

Cosi serves cooking that comes from the heart, infused with fresh ingredients, traditional flavours and innovative preparations; blending contemporary Italian style with classic Italian influence.

Location: 68 Toorak Road, South Yarra
Phone: 03 9867 3999
Link: http://cosirestaurant.com.au/