Opened in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Federico and Laurie is the award-winning restaurant known as Godi La Vita. Head Chef Federico arrived from Florence 15 years ago and takes great delight in impressing diners with his Mediterranean-style cooking methods. His masterpiece is the famous cheese wheel. Lovingly creating all the Godi La Vita pasta himself, Federico takes pride in serving it up after it has been blended inside pecorino, parmesan or piave cheese wheels. For the Adelaide Fringe, Federico is serving up dinner alongside live Italian music and calling it Pasta and Tunes. Lucky for See Do Eat Review, I got to experience the gorgeous pairing for myself.

Walking into the King William Street, Hyde Park, restaurant location, I was immediately greeted by the stunning singing voice of Claudia Migliaccio. Alongside some exquisite guitar playing by Andrew Baldino, she was singing the Italian version of Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley. As I discovered throughout the night, any song sung in Italian (by Claudia) just sounds absolutely beautiful and calming. From Crowded House’s Don’t Dream It’s Over to Miley Cyrus’ Buy Myself Flowers my dinner was made that much more enjoyable hearing these two artists perform. In addition to his guitar playing, Andrew also sang. These were proper Italian tunes that were the perfect accompaniment to a delightful dinner.

A four-course set menu greets hungry diners wanting to enjoy this Adelaide Fringe experience. A glass of prosecco on arrival, followed by one of the crunchiest, cheesiest, house-made rolls, is the first course of this feast. Two entrees arrived at the table next, and although I may be slightly allergic to eggplant, I polished off the upside-down eggplant bruschetta (itchy throat be damned). Served alongside pancetta-wrapped king prawn, I loved how both these dishes used delicate flavours to accentuate the main ingredient. The king prawn was the winner for me; it had a gentle smokiness to it (from the grill) and mild saltiness from the pancetta.

My hardest decision of the night came from picking which cheese wheel to have my pasta cooked in. The pecorino won out, though. Stozzapreti pasta was cooked with pears, walnuts, cream and brandy, before being tossed through the flaming pecorino cheese wheel. The end result is a sharp, bitey dish that has layers of sweetness from the pear and balsamic, as well as a buttery, nutty crunch from the walnuts. By the time I finished this dish, I was stuffed, but of course, I couldn’t say no to the Tropical Rice Pudding dessert. The sweetness from the mangoes and dragon fruit gave a break from the savoury main meal, while the rice pudding itself was pure luxury.

From the music to the food, to the attentive restaurant service, I never thought I’d have such a good time at an Adelaide Fringe show as I did at Godi La Vita. Whether during the Fringe or after it’s over, it’s definitely worth a visit. 

***** Five Stars