Downstairs Bistro & Lounge

215 - 217 Sturt Street
Southbank
VIC 3006

We were off to a gig nearby and settled on checking out Downstairs Bistro and Lounge first. It occupies the ground floor of a mid-rise tower block towards the southern end of Southbank on Sturt Street, and if you aren't looking carefully would be fairly easy to miss.

There is a large covered terrace area out the front, which was busy on the late Autumn Friday evening when we visited. Inside there is a bar area which was hosting a guitarist and chanteuse with an opening through to the simple and elegant dining area.

We were both taken by the glassware for our water I also enjoyed the Yenda pale ale on offer.

We decided to order a couple of the 13 inch pizza's to share. My pick was the Gamberi, topped with tomato sugo, fior di latte, prawns, cherry tomatoes, spinach and black garlic. I think it was my first try of the preserved garlic and certainly a new one to me on a pizza. The combination with the sweet tomato sauce and a bit too much cheese didn't quite win me over, although the prawns were good.

The Fungi featuring fior di latte, mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, rocket, thyme, truffle oil and hazelnuts however was fantastic. The strong fungal flavours were all through the pizza and were nicely complimented by the rocket.

The service was fine, friendly but occasionally it was a little hard to get the staffs attention. The bill came in at just over $60 including a few drinks. I'd be happy to return and think about trying some of the other dishes on the menu... and probably end up going for the Fungi again.