Vineria Luisa Sydney Review - Is the $62.50 Winter Menu Worth It?

Looking for a great Italian restaurant deal in Sydney? We tried Vineria Luisa's half price $62.50 three course winter menu. Find out what is on the menu and whether the winter special is worth it!

It's a Thursday night when Tatyana and I arrive at Vineria Luisa. The former Marie Louise hair salon on Enmore Road has had many incarnations since it closed in the 2000s. It is now an Italian restaurant and part of the Sydney Restaurant Group by Anna and Alessandro Pavoni.

I am catching up with Tatyana before she heads overseas to Europe for a year and dining here is Tatyana's idea. Every winter from June 1 to August 31, they roll out a 3 course winter special deal where you can get three courses for $62.50 including a side and a bread. Oh and the name Vineria Luisa? It's a tribute to Marie Louise salon.

The restaurant has the original curved vintage windows of the salon that resemble a pair of eyes. Inside is cosy with framed photos on walls and ruffled fabric cloaked pendant lights. When we arrive, the downstairs section isn't busy but upstairs is almost completely full of diners. Many of them look to be having this deal but you can also order à la carte and add snacks to your meal.

Tatyana and I go for the three courses and we choose different things so we can try as much as possible. I start with vitello tonnato: thinly sliced veal with a tuna mayonnaise, pine nuts and Pantelleria capers on top. This vitello tonnato has just the right amount of creaminess and meltingly tender veal. It arrives with warm rye bread rolls, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I use some of the bread to sweep up the rest of the delicious mayonnaise on the plate.

Tatyana has the fregola with Japanese pumpkin, black garlic and leek cream. It's deliciously comforting, like a risotto-style dish with crunchy Piedmontese hazelnuts for crunch.

I was torn between getting the lasagna (which has a $15 supplement) and the busiate and changed my mind at the last minute. The lasagna is multi-layered with mince and a light touch with the bechamel. It is very rich and it's a large slice so no way I can finish this no matter how much I want to.

Tatyana has the mushroom millefoglie which is divine and a perfect pairing with the meaty lasagne. There are layers of crispy edged potato and succulent, roasted mushrooms in a porcini mushroom cream with sage.

The mains arrive with a side salad that is perfectly dressed with a creamy, zingy dressing. This is the perfect foil for the rich pastas.

It's dessert time and there are three desserts but one of them is an affogato so we select the other two. The first is a classic tiramisu with a generous amount of chocolate powder on top. It is very soft and light but without much alcohol in it.

The other choice is the sour cherry and ricotta tart and it's a little stronger flavoured than the tiramisu as well. Visciole cherries are smaller and tarter cherries that are often made into jams. This ends up being both of our favourite desserts because of the lovely sweet silky ricotta and the sour cherry jam.

So tell me Dear Reader, do you look out for dinner deals?

This meal was independently paid for.