Ristorante Tartufo - Fortitude Valley

Tartufo is a large, busy and bustling restaurant which offers a little more in the way of atmosphere than other Italian restaurants in Brisbane.

Loved the hum of humans enjoying the comfort that only carbs can create; fancy pizza & linguini in upbeat conversations.

Went back again this week! Ate at the bar as was on businessGreat service from the bar staff and very engaging from them.

***Review no. 500*** I took my team to Ristorante Tartufo to celebrate a successful end to the financial year and to mark my 500th Zomato review. I was looking forward to revisiting this highly rated Italian restaurant and was prepared to splash out for a high-end experience. Unfortunately, the food was a bit of a let down. We began our meal with a bottle of sparkling wine (Cloudy Bay Pelorus) and orders of Bruschetta, Arancini Balls, Calamari Fritti and Burrata. The Bruschetta was tasty, but the bread was a bit too dry and rated 3.5. The Arancini Balls were also a bit dry and crumbled a bit too much when cutting into it. The flavor was good and this rated a 3. It was a generous serving of Calamari Fritti, but they were average and rated a 3. The Burrata was a little tough on the outside and not nearly as creamy as I am used to on the inside. This too rated a 3. We were off to a very average start - not what we were expecting. For mains we ordered the Duck Confit Risotto Special, the Rigatoni Saliscce and the Porchetta (pork belly) to go along with a Terre al Lago Pinot. The Duck Confit Risotto had good, but slightly overpowering, flavors. The beans, greens, arborio rice, cheese and duck came together nicely, but the texture was a bit inconsistent. The duck was nice and tender, but the dish as a whole rated 3-3.5. The Rigatoni Saliscce combined Italian Pork Sausage, Fried Eggplant, Smoked Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil and Parmesan with tender rigatoni. This was the only dish that really met expectations and rated a 4. The Porchetta received mixed reviews. I found the meat itself to be a bit dry, while the crackling was a bit too soft. The dish as a whole just wasn't as tender as i have come to expect from nice restaurants. The dish did have good flavour and rated 3.5-4. My colleague rated it a 4 and felt that the only thing keeping it from being 4.5-5 was the crackling wasn't crispy enough. Good service and the food came out very quickly, but overall, the restaurant rated 3.5 when we were expecting 4-5 for the $60-$70 per person. In my opinion there are far better Italian restaurants in Brisbane at better prices.

***Review no. 500*** I took my team to Ristorante Tartufo to celebrate a successful end to the financial year and to mark my 500th Zomato review. I was looking forward to revisiting this highly rated Italian restaurant and was prepared to splash out for a high-end experience. Unfortunately, the food was a bit of a let down. We began our meal with a bottle of sparkling wine (Cloudy Bay Pelorus) and orders of Bruschetta, Arancini Balls, Calamari Fritti and Burrata. The Bruschetta was tasty, but the bread was a bit too dry and rated 3.5. The Arancini Balls were also a bit dry and crumbled a bit too much when cutting into it. The flavor was good and this rated a 3. It was a generous serving of Calamari Fritti, but they were average and rated a 3. The Burrata was a little tough on the outside and not nearly as creamy as I am used to on the inside. This too rated a 3. We were off to a very average start - not what we were expecting. For mains we ordered the... read more