Gradi at Crown

After reading so many scathing reviews on Gradi at Crown, I didn't go into the restaurant with high hopes or expectations. But luckily, just like its sister in Brunswick, it didn't disappoint. 

The occasion was a farewell lunch and the crowd was my former workmates - the very group of people who had convinced me to write a food bog in the first place (thanks guys!).

To eat we had the set menu for lunch, which consisted of enough food to feed a small army.  To start with we had a collection of cured meats served on Sardinian 'carasau' bread - absolutely delicious. We were then served bruschetta (slightly uninspiring and my least favourite meal of the day) and squid (which was ok, but some bits were slightly chewy).

Then came the mains - pizzas (slightly soggy but still good flavours - especially with lashings of Gradi's delicious chili oil), saffron risotto with pork sausage (yum!) and taglioni with mussels, clams, prawns and scallops (double yum!).  The seafood pasta was by far the dish of the day and was definitely I meal I would go back for. The seafood was cooked perfectly, the Napoli sauce  and the overall dish was not at all fishy.

To finish, we were served a variety of Italian deserts, but it was the panna cotta that took the cake (pun intended!).

Good wine (thanks to Kim, my sommelier of the day), amazing food and even better company - I will definitely be back to Gradi at Crown for more.


Verdict: Like