Enzo a disappointment!

Having dined at Enzo (local restaurant in Mt. Waverley) many times in the last 20 years, we considered it a safe bet for a local birthday dinner for a friend.  Last time we were there, there were a couple of new faces amongst the staff, but the food has always been great and the wine list quite good and not over-priced.  The same Italian family has run the restaurant for many years and the staff have always been friendly and attentive if a little eccentric at times, with a dress-code of waistcoats and black pants.

Not any more!  The dining room was almost empty, with only 4 other tables occupied and the staff of only 2 were unfamiliar and not as attentive as we were accustomed to - not slack, but given the lack of numbers, certainly not readily available.  Drinks service was sporadic, the initial pre-dinner drinks for the males delivered before the ladies even got to order their wines.  Then, the food!  The entree pork belly was under-cooked with the rind floppy and not-at-all crisp. The fatty sub-skin layer was almost cold, so the meat appeared to have been pre-cooked and instead of being put under the griller to heat and crisp, it may have been microwaved, but barely.  Five small pieces on a bed of rocket!!!  The scallops were watery and tasteless and didn't even show any hint of the sea, so have been frozen, washed and  probably microwaved - very poor.

The eye fillet was a lovely piece of meat so the butcher had certainly performed, but it was poorly presented with the bacon barely cooked and the fennel it was served with was again watery and tasteless - I love fennel so was looking forward to this aniseed taste hit.  The lamb shanks were described as satisfying.  The girls both ordered veal scallopini and described it as ordinary, with too much mashed potato.  Desserts ordered were Creme Brulee and Tiramisu and both were less than satisfying - "can do better than that at home"!

So, apart from the company, which was most enjoyable, the dinner at Enzo's was a major disappointment and we won't be bothering again.  The chef has a lot to learn and the (apparently new) management need to address the slide into oblivion.  It will be only the less discerning who will enjoy an evening there.