File:Amaretto cookies and Crostoli at the Tea Rooms of Yarck.jpg

Since we decided to head back to Melbourne early, we worked out that we could arrive at Yarck just in time for lunch! Any excuse to try out this Sardinian outpost in country Victoria.

Yarck is one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it towns, with not much more than a fire station and pub. Why chef/owner, Sardinian-born Pietro Porcu decided to open up here is a mystery to me, but on a Sunday afternoon, it was filled with well-dressed Melbourne types. Not a farmer in sight. His other restaurant is Da Noi in South Yarra.

As was recommended by The Age Good Food Guide 2009 and our friendly waitress, the best option is to leave the meal up to the kitchen, which we did. At AUD75 per head for 4 courses, it's not cheap, but not terribly expensive either, especially considering we were rolling out the door after coffees!

The food was simple, unpretentious, and very good, focusing on good produce and good cooking. The highlight was the Crab Spaghettini with saffron and a hint of chilli bound together with a rich crab stock and good olive oil. I suspected that the sauce had a drizzle of crab-shell oil as well, just to give t that extra whack of crab and the smokiness of burnt grilled shellfish. After that, eating the blue swimmer crab itself was a bit of an anticlimax, despite being superbly fresh.

The baked eggplant parmigiana was also superb. Silky smooth eggplant with a hint of charring with an intense tomato sauce and the cheesy hit of aged parmesan.