Scusa Mi Ristorante & Bar

After spending three days indoors discussing documents and contracts (The weather was 20C and fluorescent) we took a well-​deserved break on our last night in Melbourne.
We strolled the beautiful Melbourne riverfront (it being Summer in Australia) and looked for a place to grab a bite and some good Australian wine.
We found ourselves in front of Scusa Mi when hunger finally took over. Though it’s in a sort of mall, It seemed a nice, well-​lit Italian place with a decent clientele, so we sauntered in as a group of eight. The place was only half full.
Then we put in our name and we waited on the ample couch area near the front. And then we waited some more. Finally, we flagged someone to get our cocktail orders. Jeez, what’s a guy gotta do to get a drink around here?
The rest of the evening was uphill from there. We were seated in a river-​facing table near the open air, and the wine list was produced, then opened and then… brutalized (Our program manager was feeling generous; I wasn’t complaining).
As for the food, I recall a pleasant, if not spectacular meal. Service was even and unobtrusive.
So…Not the best place we could have picked, but they had a decent wine list and it fit the bill in the end (and oh, what a bill !). But I’d be in to trying a different spot if I ever get back here.

I was in Melbourne for a conference and found Scusa Mi simply by asking a couple people on the street for a really good restaurant in Melbourne to have lunch, given that I was a tourist that didn’t prepare in advance. Two people mentioned it with the warning that it was a bit expensive though, but still, I headed their way.
Scusa Mi has a specific lunch menu which, in comparison to many other Melbourne restaurants I looked at, was a pretty decent deal: choose 2 among appetizer, main and dessert for AUS $ 29 including a glass of wine. I went with the appetizer & main and a glass of red, but added the dessert myself later on as I really liked what I had.
I got the leek & cauliflower soup as a starter. The soup was yummy, not too liquid, not too chunky and flavorful without being too strong. The bread they serve was pretty decent as well and was great as a complement to the soup.
I then moved to the main, which in my case was the tagliatelle with eggplant & zucchini. The dish itself looked and smelled really great, which was a good start. It proved to be equally tasteful, though I personally would have added some kind of nut, walnuts for example, to add a bit of crunch to the dish. The dish wasn’t too oily, the veggies were properly cooked and seasoned, yummy entrée.
As I really liked what I had got so far, I ordered the gelato for dessert. They make the gelato in house, and while I was expecting a scoop of gelato, they brought me a dish with three small scoops of gelato next to each other, garnished with hardened caramel and nuts. The gelato was a bit harder than I would expect, but still tasted great, and the addition of the hardened caramel and nuts fit really well with the gelato flavors (variations on chocolate).
Overall, I was quite happy with my meal, and would definitely recommend it.

We went on a quiet night (wednesday) and the restaurant wasn’t busy at all.
Food is of high quality, but the service was very average. Initially, when we were seated, the waiter took our drink orders within 5 minutes which was great.
But after our mains were finished, we waited 30 minutes for our plates to be cleared and offered dessert menus.
Won’t be going back again.

Like any other Southgate restaurant worth its weight in salt, Scusami provides an amazing dining experience overlooking the Yarra river, CBD skyline and Flinders st station in all its glory. It really is the perfect location for a special evening out, whether with friends, loved ones or that special someone.
The focus of Scusami’s food is on authenticity and simplicity, rather than modern twists and fancy new ideas. Personally, I love that, because I’d rather a hearty, tasty and filling dish on my table than a modern masterpiece that leaves me hungry and unsatisfied. The menu changes by the season, and they offer a more selective menu for pre theatre diners who need to be in and out to get to their shows on time.
My personal favourite dish is the Linguini Del Pescatore — a medley of seafoods in a tomato, basil and chilli sauce on a bed of linguini. Pair that with a good chardonnay and you will be happy too!