Ciao Italia - Nedlands

Chapter 88 is no longer with us. A smart move by Ciao Italia, you know how the saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." This was exactly my thought when the good people at Ciao Italia changed Chapter 88 back to Perth's favourite Italian restaurant (I don't think I'm making too big a claim!).

I've loved Ciao Italia for as long as I can remember, the atmosphere, the food, the tiramisu! Well when my friend invited a bunch of us out for dinner for his birthday to Ciao, I immediately volunteered to organise it for him. By organise I mean just ask how many people were coming and called the restaurant to make a reservation. Yes, you read correctly, Ciao Italia in Nedlands accepts reservations (Halleluyah!!!). This made me love Ciao even more!

Garlic Bread ($5.50)

So nine of us arrived to Ciao, very excited to get some good chow! We started with garlic bread. I don't know if it was the atmosphere, or we were just giddy from getting a free meal (the birthday boy treated us), but these garlic bread tasted better than average. The crust was crusty, but the middle was soft, like a pillow of garlic. Delicious!

Greek Salad ($15.50) with chicken

A health conscious friend of ours ordered the greek salad, which someone else sneakily asked to be topped with chicken. Well I'm not sure if the result was healthy or not, but it tasted amazing. They were generous with the feta and olives, the dressing was light, but tasty and the chicken was grilled perfectly, charred on the outside, and tender on the inside.

Calamari Alagrigila ($37.50)

We also ordered the calamari alagrigilia, which was calamari with a side of continental salad. The calamari was cooked to perfection, it was crispy and calamari was not tough, but split apart softly as you bit into it. Dipped into the aioli, it was sinfully delicious.

Chilli King Prawn Pizza ($27.50)

The pizzas in Ciao are also not to be missed. This time we ordered their chilli king prawn pizza. The aroma of the pizza is enough to make anyone drool. The sauce is creamy with a hint of chilli. The prawns were juicy and abundant. The tomatoes added a freshness to the pizza. The pizza was not overly cheesy, but you still get that stringy cheese delight with each bite.

Spaghetti Marinara ($33.50)

A Favourite dish at Ciao Italia is their spaghetti marinara. They're very generous with the seafood, which includes prawns, fish and oysters. The tomato sauce is the perfect balance of indulgent and refreshing. Tomato based pasta sauces are certainly not as indulgent as cream based sauces, but at Ciao, they have managed to make their marinara into a really delectable dish.

Fettuccine Ciao Italia ($29.50)

Another must have dish, and I mean MUST have dish, is their fettuccine ala Ciao Italia. I feel like, if you go to Ciao without ordering this dish, it never really happened. Everyone's faces lit up as we saw the dish placed on our table. The fettuccine was covered in the creamy Ciao Italia sauce and topped with chicken, sundried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes and spring onion. The sauce is to die for, it's creamy, flavoursome and just all round satisfying.

We were absolutely stuffed by the end of our meal. We opted not to order the tiramisu, fearing that all our pants buttons would pop open with another bite. We'll be back to finish what we started though!

I would rate Ciao Italia 9/10.

Restaurant Information:

Ciao Italia

39/88 Broadway

Nedlands

Ph: 9389 6689
Website: http://www.ciaoitalia.com.au/

 Facebook: Ciao Italia

Disclaimer: Restaurant information and prices were true and correct on 23rd May 2015. Prices included GST.