Riserva Wine 395 Wattletree Road, Malvern East, Victoria 3146

"Spontaneous date night and hubby flukes this restaurant and last minute booking. The food was exquisitely delicious! We ordered the Tasmanian oysters with a citrus vinaigrette and the king prawn dish which was served with beetroot, goat cheese, crispy sage, roasted nuts and burnt butter sauce for starters. Tonight’s specials were an older (longer processed) mozerella entree and the Hapuka fish for main (to share). We had no room left for dessert but we will be back again that’s certain. Our waitress Jan was also very lovely. The only thing missing was perhaps a bit of lo-fi dining music to enhance the ambience, but the volume of chatter amongst other diners/guests was subtle and pleasant."

"This is a great local restaurant with a good range of meal options and a large wine list. We had the oysters to start, which were delicious, followed by the octopus and prawn sliders, both of which were great. For mains, we both had the veal cotoletta, and again, these tasted amazing plus the charred broccoloni. For dessert, we ordered the tiramisu and the bombe Alaska, and both were to die for. We've eaten here twice prior, but this time in May 2023 was by far the best. We ate our food with a bottle of French pilot noir. My only issue with this restaurant is that they need to crank up the heating as its cold! Staff are all friendly and helpful. Otherwise, everything is amazing, and I can't wait to return!"

"First time eating here and it was delicious! The venue is small, intimate and very cosy while at the same time being open and modern. We had a late booking 8:30pm, and on arrival there was a sweet elderly couple at are table that we had to wait for. We didn’t mind as the staff were lovely and gave us a chance to see some of the dishes that were coming out. We were then offered drinks and soon after that our table was ready. The starters we had were delicious, fresh and you could tell the ingredients they use are of high quality. The burrata was beyond! The pasta dishes are stand out, flavoursome, fresh and one of the first places I’ve not needed extra seasoning! We were very spoilt by the staff (because we waited for our table to be ready) they gave us the most delicious dessert to share and an equally lovely digestive drink after that. And a shout out to the staff especially the head waiter! Thanks for a wonderful evening of food, wine and laughter. Bellissimo!"

"Lovely restaurant and by far one of my favourites in the area. The space is a perfect balance of contemporary and old-school Italian with food to match. Pastas are a standout - particular the prawn special I had on my most recent visit - but starters are good too. I do wish the zucchini flowers were less fried and more filled but the anchovy on top was a nice touch. Cocktails are also good with lots of variety."

"The food did not stack up to the reviews on my visit early Dec last month & I picked this restaurant based on this. Service was excellent. Nice interior but place is a tad noisy as tables are close to each other. Zucchini flower was good but my gnocchi crabmeat (from tin) was too briny. The carrots with tamarind & kewpie squirts did not blend. Desserts were not bad. All up - for $400+ for 4 of us incl a glass of vino each - I have had better elsewhere. We did leave a handsome tip for the service."