Bellezain

This weekend I took a little trip down to Port Melbourne to check out Bellezain, with a couple of friends. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the place was the decor. The place is stunningly beautiful. It looks over the boardwalk and ocean, and the both the outdoor deck and inside eating areas are lovely. I haven't walked into a place in a while where I just though "Wow I LOVE what they have done to this place!" If I could turn it into my living room I would. The walls are covered in amazing wall paper and there are flowers everywhere. Its my style of place, so I was pretty excited to have a peek at the menu and try out the food.

In the last few months the place has been taken over by a gay couple who have a background in wine, the corporate world, and hospitality. So they really know a bit about everything. I had a chat to both of them early on in the night and although they looked tired (opening a restaurant is no picnic ladies and gentlemen) they were still very excited about what they are doing. Its lovely to see owners who a passionate about their business, and so involved with the place.

One of the ladies has spent several years studying wine (yes there is a course for wine lovers who want to study it for years and years), so the wine list is wonderful. I just asked them to send me over their favourites all night, and everything was great.

To be honest I was worried to try the food because I like the place so much I didn't want to be let down. Luckily it was really nice. I had a duck and mushroom risotto, which for some reason so many chefs have trouble pulling off well. It was perfectly cooked (no hard rice and no yucky slushy rice.) and I enjoyed it a lot. They also have a great range of pizza's (I was eyeing off one with figs on it that my friend was eating.)

All in all I liked the place. It was a good night out and I'd defiantly recommend it.