I went here with a group of 10 friends and we all had a fantastic night. We almost didn't recognise the place since I last went as it has merged with the restaurant next door to become "Della Vigna". The restaurant now has a very nice modern touch to it and there's a sense of space and grooviness with the glowing bar in the background. Not sure about the post below but the food we had was excellent.
The stand out from the crowd was the fettuccine salmon which was very tasty and fresh; the crab risotto which the flavour from the crab was mixed well and absorbed into the risotto, resulting in a rich aroma of fresh seafood tastes. The entree of fetta cheese and olives with bread for $13 was admittedly a bit steep, but the mains are very attractively priced. The entree scampi was average. Desserts are ok - the tiramisu is presented in an elongated glass was a bit strange, but the standout was the raspberry semifreddo.
Service is ok, took a while to replace my fork (which accidentally fell on the floor) and had to ask a few times to get our water bottle refilled. But overall, very enjoyable food at fantastic prices at a good location and in the end each of us only paid $30. Fantastic value and would come again if I fancy Italian some day.
How very disappointing. I took a group of 7 to this restaurant for Sunday lunch 17/8/08 based on reviews on this site. Unfortunately it didn't live up to expectations. The bruschetta was at least a couple of days old - had the slightly whitish hue to the tomatoes. The veal scallopini was drowned in a gluggy tomatoe sauce, the veal with prawn and langoustine suffered the same fate.
The only saving grace was the seafood risotto which was pronounced a hit. The outside atmosphere was ok but a bit cold despite the heaters. Would definitely not go there again based on this experience.
My family and I have been to La Vigna quite a few times and they have improved a little bit every time. I remember when I was a little kid and I used to get the chicken snitzel and chips with tomato sauce and polish it off in about 10 minutes. I went in January this year and we got a beautiful starter with things such as octopus and pita bread was so nice that we got a bucket full of it. My dad and my brother got a veal parmigiana and a veal saltimbocca and shared and me and my mum had pasta. Very nice and comfortable.
I do visit this place as often as I can and it is the only restaurant in the whole of the Forum that I will eat at. Having attended many times, the service and food always remain of the highest standard. I greatly approve of their tolerance for smoking outdoors and particularly of cigars. The ambience is great whether sitting inside or out.
I would highly recommend this place for taking someone out for dinner or any meal. I will definitely continue visiting.
We went back to this lovely place again on Sunday night. We always expect the food to be great, but I think I must say it is even better! The char grilled ocy is the BEST in, well anywhere.
My girl friend had the veal. After tasting it I am convinced we have never actually had veal before. It really melt in the mouth. We will definitely be back for more. Well done chef!
My boyfriend and I have eaten here a number of times over the years and always enjoyed it, but I recently had my birthday party there and was really disappointed with the service. It was a really hot night and we were served warm water in warm glasses and they only opened the doors at the front of the restaurant after being asked several times. My poor guests were sweating inside the restaurant.
When we asked one of our regular waiters what was going on, he mentioned that the restaurant was under new management and they were understaffed. I wrote them a complaint letter and never received a response. What a shame, a real disappointment.
My wife and I have had lunch here many times and the food is consistently very good. I don't like the way all the waiters in the forum area tout for business as you walk through the area but this one is a consistent place with very reasonable prices.
Can be hard to get some service if you are sitting inside but generally its pleasant enough. Food is good, I love the Salmone pastas (I get the chef to do a ravioli salmone for me) and I've been bringing people here regularly and not had a complaint. Definitely my favourite in the forum.
Great food. Great service and we had a large table, so everyones food came out at the same time. The creamy pasta sauces may be a little rich for some but overall a top dining experience.
Come here quite a bit and have good service every single time. And the food is just to die for! I especially like their Oysters Kilpatric and the prawn risotto. Small table to large tables, they look after you! You get what you pay for. It is very loud and cramped but you should expect that from a restaurant in the Forum...