An evening deep in dark Daylesford on a frosty winters night, my partner and I on a lovely weekend away elected Rubens as our first feasting feat. Though, firstly we were told they were unable to seat us without a reservation on night like this. So away we went and returned when our time came.
The interior is sparsely decorated, a pizza oven feature in the main dining area, a beautiful touch, if it functions, I do not know. Clean, contemporary, functional wooden furniture that cleverly compliment the exposed ceiling beams which are common in these parts. The restaurant was bustling and all seemingly enjoying.
The serving staff are polite and professional, attentive however there were a few repeated questions, implying there was a lack of communication and/or organisation with front of house, however given how busy Rubens was this night, staff being over attentive is hardly a complaint.
We ordered a Margherita, mostly because we couldn't decide on anything else. The ingredients were so fresh and the base was perfect! However, there was a shocking lack of depth to the flavour. Strange especially as one would assume the Napoli sauce base and the basil pesto on this pizza should be house made? All I could taste was sourness. There was a sad excuse for a garnish of grated beets and sparsely scattered roquette- refer to my photo. For $15, in Daylesford, I was disappointed frankly.
Now, for one of the two issues that has lead me to to the two stars. I'll admit I made an adjustment to a menu item which is usually a no no however, the concept wasn't that dissimilar to what was already on there. I asked the for Napoli Marinara with Gnocchi instead of the listed spaghetti- why? Because I wanted Gnocchi. Boy, do I regret this order!
I expected floury, potato pillows with fresh seafood and rich Napoli sauce. What I got was, sour mash potato marinara soup. Considering the beautiful meals I saw on other tables, I am unsure how my meal turned out this way. I sent it back. They didn't charge me for it. I would have expected an a word from the manager but didn't hear a peep.
I was brought a spaghetti with Napoli sauce in place of my meal ($22) is strange to admit I was surprised we were charged for this, considering it is a basic dish chosen to correct an error? You may be surprised to learn, that the sauce was sour.
This is the second reason I have come to the two stars, an Italian inspired/style restaurant that can not master red sauce is an embarrassment. To develop complexity and to balance flavour in a basic red sauce, is admittedly something that requires technique and practice, but possibly one of the most important things a chef/cook must learn.
The Mango Island cocktail that is quite popular from all accounts, is very decent, strong and sweet, worth a taste if you happen upon Rubens. If.. read more