20191213 Midnight Spaghetti and Steven ter Horst

YAY! It's my turn to choose and I have taken a leaf from Stephen's book and decided for something that is going to be rock solid good. After last week's disaster date with Mexican food, I decided to book a table for 5 at the tried and trusted Midnight Spaghetti.

It has been my first week in my new role as Team Leader. It has been pretty cruisey and I am settling in well.  I knocked off at 5pm and strolled across the road to the Elephant where our booked booth was awaiting me.

Con was the first to show up in a polo shirt and looked very summery. As always with Con, he was in high spirits. He asked me if I had watched the 14 hour Country videos he had given me last week. Alas, with such a busy week, I hadn't even taken the USB out of my bag.

Stephen came in about 5.40 (he had moved the car to save us an $8 additional parking fee). Chad rocked up a little after this (it was his last day before the school holidays). He told us his 'dad' joke!!!

3 girls are on a dessert island and each girl was given a wish by a genie. I won't go into the joke, but this is enough to remember it by.

Richard came in around 6.15 and completed the group for the evening. He hasn't been to Midnight Spaghetti for a while so was looking forward to it.

We walked up the road and noted that Jekyl and Hyde had shut down. In it's place was going to be 'Gunbae' (the first picture). Sounds interesting...  due to open soon.

Into the Midnight Spaghetti and up the curved staircase to the first floor. It was a little quieter than our previous visits, but we were shown to the table in an efficient and friendly manner. I can't believe this place isn't packed out every night. It's an absolute gem, hidden away. The upstairs had an old worldly feel with its lovely wooden tables and the view over Grenfell Street is welcoming. Right across the road from my work!

On our tables are empty tins of tomatoes to hold the cutlery and napkins. A rustic touch that adds to the character of the setting.





As I've mentioned on a few previous occasions, I always judge a restaurant that serves pasta firstly on whether they serve complimentary bread. Here they do. And what bread it is. Thick, dense white bread with olive flavouring. Perfect for a nibble before the pasta arrives.

We were also served 3 small dishes as accompaniments for the pasta - chilli oil, chilli flakes and parmesan cheese. A nice touch.

It must have been about 5 minutes after we ordered that all the dishes were served together within milliseconds of each other. The perfect service.

Stephen, Chad and Richard had the Ragu. Chad and Richard shared the Truffle Spuds.

Con and myself had the Midnight Spagheeti signature dish - served in a dish with its name around the side. Stephen and I also shared a Truffle Spuds. Stephen indulged in a glass of house red.

The flavours of the food were amazing. The pastas was as good, even better, than I remembered it. What a balance of olive, and anchovy flavours. Plenty of pasta, even for my healthy appetite.

Scores for the evening...

Chad - 9
Con - 7
Richard - 8
Stephen - 8.5
Me - 8.5

I think the scores say it all - a great evening by all.

Another nice touch about the restaurant is that we could all pay individually without too much hassle. I gave a glowing review to the person who took our money, mentioning that we will definitely be back again.

 I was happy to go wherever for coffee, so Chad suggested we try the Howling Owl again. We walked there, but saw that it was very busy. Instead, we decided to go to our favourite, Steven ter Horst.

When we walked in, it was completely empty! We ordered our round of hot chocolates and Richard had a cheesecake.

Definitely one of the best evenings of the year - thank you to all who made it such a lovely experience.

We were in our car and driving home, all before 9pm. It's been a long week... now to turn my attention to knowing what to buy Stephen for Christmas ??? Hmmm.... I think Santa might choose something to do with computers....

Until next week.