PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAFrom the moment that you walk up the three short steps and pass through the doorway into Mario at the Dining Room, you know that you have found something special. The smells wafting from the kitchen are divine, the ambience is crisp and the staff are professional and friendly. Mario himself can be found strutting around the dining room lavishing attention on his customers. His enthusiasm for food is contagious and each meal that is brought from the kitchen is treated with the respect that it deserves, by the diners who savour every mouthful. Mario is located in the suburban maze of Hendra not far from Ascot and the more famous Racecourse Road. Despite its out-of-the-way location, people flock to it due to a growing reputation as a place one has to experience.
Mario Alfieri, formerly of Mariosarti at Toowong, began this new venture nearly two years ago. He has since relinquished his part at Mariosarti, concentrating all his attention on the Dining Room. The menu consists of many dishes that fuse Italian technique with Australian produce, such as the Fettuccine Moreton of ribbon pasta, tomatoes, chilli and Moreton bay bugs. Entrees feature seafood such as Tasmanian octopus or whitebait fritters, as well as marinated artichoke filled with blue cheese and wrapped in prosciutto. Mains cover the Italian staple favourites like veal, eye fillet and lamb shanks, however, my recommendation is to watch the specials board and listen to the master himself.
Meagan Hepworth