Sicilian Orange

LOCATION
Just a stone’s throw from both Prahran Station and Chapel Street.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
If nonna’s not in the kitchen and the craving hits for some home-style Italian cooking, head to Sicilian Orange instead. This bright, little dining spot is a slice of Sicily transplanted to Prahran, where you can pop in first thing in the morning for a restorative coffee and cannoli filled to order, brunch on home-cooked cannellini beans on toast with tomato and rosemary or pan-fried mushrooms with lemon-infused ricotta, or really settle in for the main event. Casalinga (home-style) cooking is the star here. Amid these warm, yellow walls dotted with painted ceramics and figurines, not to mention a benevolent Madonna overlooking proceedings, the friendly staff welcome you like one of their own.

This is a great restaurant for classic Italian comfort food like the penne bolognaise or bistecca alla pizzaiola. There are always several pasta options, a risotto of the day and a regular choice of seasonal specials. Try the maltagliata di manzo – roughly chopped beef pieces cooked in a reduced balsamic dressing, the casarecce alla norma (with eggplant and ricotta), or the slow-cooked stew, spezzatino. Desserts include a Sicilian trifle of homemade custard layered with biscuit and soaked in coffee and liqueur, or end with a simple affogato. The coffee’s great and there’s a small selection of beers and wines as well as Italian liqueurs to finish your meal off on the right note.

Angela Costanzo