tummyrumbles.com

275 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Phone (03) 9663 7994

Prompted by Claire over at the fabulously revamped Melbourne Gastronome, I’ve dragged this post out of my drafts to finally see the light of day (nb. I have been somewhat remiss in blogging due to life getting in the way of things. But rest assured, I have still been eating at some great places!).  As mentioned by Claire, Trunk has received a few positive reviews in the press, but little has been heard  around the traps. For me, the fact that it’s a block from work and I walk past it on the way home was the main drawcard.  How can one not be drawn in by this fabulous facade and front yard space? It is ever so conducive to imbibing and socialising on warm sunny days, which is something I certainly took advantage of in the warmer months. The building itself, a revamped synagogue is now a smart, elegant warehouse type space that Claire so wonderfully dubbed as having “a general air of fabulousness”.

The food dabbles in Italian, and you can choose to eat from the bar menu, or the restaurant.  I must admit I haven’t actually made it to the restaurant yet - the bar menu providing too much of a temptation (and shoot, their pizzas really ARE good).

To begin, we may as well start at some starters. The salt cod green chilli fritters ($13.50) tasted as great as they look - but then you can’t go too wrong with deep-fried quenelles of salted cod and mashed potato coated in fresh breadcrumbs.  They sat in a garlicky pool of aoili and a crisp garnish of lemon dressed parsley, red onion and capers perfectly cut through the richness of the dish.

Once again some deep fried goodness, this time in the form of porcini and taleggio arancini ($8). They too sat in a pool of aioli, and were crisp and salty on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. The tallegio was dominant in the aroma stakes, and the porcini added a nice tasty earthiness.

Now on to some pizza’s (nb. these pizza’s were consumed over a number of visits), we sampled pizza Number 2 - Pomodoro “Plus” - tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive, capers and chorizo ($17.50).  What impressed me most was the base. Beautifully yeasty, filled with air and crisped in a wood fired oven, the pizza’s don’t go the route of too many sliced and diced toppings.  Just a handful of good quality ingredients. The chorizo was especially spicy on this one.

The pizza itself is certainly enough for two, especially if you have it in combination with a nice salad. That being said, I have managed to polish off a whole one by myself!

The Number 6 - Prosciutto - was topped with Fratelli Galloni Parma Prosciutto, tomato and buffalo mozzarella ($22.50).  As you can see the star of this pizza was the cured prosciutto, one of the better hand cured meats from Italy with its hallmark rosy white fat.  Mmm…salty and good.

Number 8 - Mediterrano: Prawns, mussels, chilli and roast cherry tomatoes ($21) was actually consumed by one of my mates, and they heartily concurred it to be ‘da business’. The prawns were generous and tender, and the whole roasted cherry tomatoes popped like bombs of sweetness in the mouth.

Number 7 - Funghi: porcini pesto, buffalo mozzarella, sauteed mushrooms ($18) is a splendid way of having pizza without the tomato.  The buffalo mozzarella was deliciously molten when it arrived at the table, covering large slices of garlicky sauteed field mushrooms.  The porcini pesto was a bit of a non-event though - I did expect it to be a little punchier.  But I did very much enjoy this pizza, and look forward to trying it again.

To keep things somewhat healthy, the wild rocket and parmigiano reggiano salad ($8.50) is a great accompaniment to the pizza.  Good olive oil, perky peppery leaves and slivers of pungent parmigiano.

Obviously being a bar, the wine, beer and cocktail menu are pretty impressive, and you won’t want for anything.  The service too is slick, smart and generally friendly.

I am torn though.  Yes, it is ever so nice to sup outside in the sunshine, but it would be a shame not to experience the “air of fabulousness” of the interior.

Written by mellie on August 13th, 2008 | Tags: bars, pizza, restaurants, Trunk | Category: bars, dining experiences |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL