Society

After spending every hour of the day over the last few weeks being glued to my seat in my room moving from deadline to deadline, I forgot there's so much more to life than the four walls of my room. Once in a while, it's nice to say to myself enough is enough. As a wise friend said, don't spend so much time trying to make a living that you forget to have a life.  A break once in a while is well-deserved, and I pushed aside my inexhaustible pile of workload to enjoy a day off. (Or at least an afternoon, as I was still working my way through the pile up until the moment when we met for lunch.) 

A while ago,I bookmarked Society as a restaurant to visit. After a recent traumatic experience at another restaurant though, which gave a bad name to all Italian restaurants in Melbourne, we weren't sure if we wanted to try another Italian restaurant so soon. We hemmed and hawed the better part of an evening before finally biting the bullet and making our reservation, and boy, I was glad we did.  

When we placed our orders, the owner of the restaurant dropped by and apologized that the food may take a while to arrive, because, in his charming Italian accent-tinged voice, "the chef in the kitchen was ..." He trailed off with an expressive wave of his hand and a cheeky smile. Seems like the chef was inebriated with alcohol. Or maybe something less innocuous. (I'm pretty horrible at sign language.) But I like the restaurant already. With such a relaxing, it's-all-good-here attitude, there wasn't a better place for me to go to to unwind. 

I had a lovely red chosen from their list of house wine ($7.50), which I liked, but which EJ disapproved of. He's a red wine snob. I, a different kind (one which also ends with _ _ob.)  
There were lunch specials available, which some of my table companions opted for. They were a great deal: a main goes from $20, and includes a glass of wine, soft drink or a coffee. 

EJ had the Pancia di Maiale (Pork Belly - $25) from the single-course lunch special. I could hear the crunch of the skin from across the table. I snagged a bite, and the pork belly was perfectly done. 

J had the Fish of the Day (Pescato del Giorno - $25 lunch special), which she commented was really fresh and perfectly done. I do remember her guarding her dish from prying hands like mine - but I do remember snagging a bite somehow while she was distracted. 

I looked at both menus, and I chose the Controfiletto di Manzo ($35) from their ala carte menu. The sirloin was served alongside a spinach, Parmesan and radicchio salad. It was remarkably done well, and I enjoyed every bite. Best dish here. 

R had the Anatra ($39): pan-seared duck breast and confit duck leg. I was busy stuffing myself with the sirloin, and missed out on this. Judging about how she was raving about the tenderness of the duck and the crispiness of the skin, you can't go wrong with this dish. 

N had the Impanato (Crumbled pork rib-eye - $25 lunch special). Tastes like schitznel. Sorry. It was okay, but a bit of a let-down after all the gorgeous dishes the rest of us had. It was giant, but still a schitznel. 

Coffee was served at the end of the meal. They were strong and heavenly, and rivaled any that I have had in Italy. Sighhh. This is how coffee should be done. 

The restaurant accepts cards, though the owner mentioned that he has had problems with cards from certain banks. We enjoyed a 25% off from our entertainment card, and the owner rounded up the discount for us to an even $20. It was a generous gesture and ensured our future patronage. Throughout the entire dining experience, little gestures like this reminded me of the friendliness of Italians. Society embodies the warmness of Italian service at its best, and I couldn't recommend this restaurant more highly.