Tiamo - Lygon St, Charlton

You know that a restaurant is going to be pretty decent if they open a second one right next to the first. Tiamo is an italian restaurant that located on the northern end of Lygon Street, Charlton. For those unfamiliar with Melbourne, Lygon street is the Norton street (Sydney) of Melbourne. Scattered with along the main street are a big selection of Italian cafes and restaurants. Much like the other cafes along the street Tiamo has indoor and alfresco dining.

Picture courtesy of www.lygonst.com/tiamo

Saturday night - this restaurant is packed! We were left waiting in the middle of the footpath. Fifteen minutes later, we were offered a nice road-side. For entree I had the minestrone, whilst my friend had the bruschetta. The service was leaning on the slow side with my minestrone arriving 15 minutes later. Then another 15 minutes later the mains came out with our side orders of garlic bread. Where is the bruschetta? Turns out they have "run out" of bruschetta, "geez!, thanks for telling us". The minestrone was mediocre at best and personally I could easily have cooked better.

Minestrone Soup

The garlic bread, however, was the undoubtedly the best dish of the night. Nice and crispy on the crust with a soft white center. It seems far fetched, but I may have to say this was the best garlic bread ever! (and trust me, being a bread-lover, I know my breads!)

Best garlic bread ever

For my main I had the Spaghetti Don Giovanni ($16.50). I'm still undecided about this dish. On one hand the spaghetti was cooked well, the sauce was irresistible and it complemented the seafood (clams and mussels). But on the other hand the sauce was watery. If you like a slightly watery pasta sauce, then meal is perfect. If you are like me and enjoy a slightly thicker sauce you might consider trying something else.

Spaghetti Don Giovanni - $16.50

My friend had ordered the Schiaffatelle ($15.50), which was gnocchi in Napoli and basil sauce. This sauce was much thicker. My friend rated the pasta and sauce as average.

Schiaffatelle (Gnocchi with Napoli and Basil) - $15.50

Overall, the food was average (except the garlic bread, which was heavenly) the service was lacking but Tiamo does manage to keep prices relatively low. The nice bustling vibe and decent value makes Tiamo a place to give a second chance, maybe try a night where they are not as busy.

Ratings:
Food - 5/10
Service - 5/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Value for money - 8/10
Overall - 26/40

Tiamo & Tiamo 2

305 Lygon Street
Carlton VIC 3053
Tel: (03) 93470911