Rosa’s is a newish, casual eatery and a welcome addition to the exciting revitalisation known as “The Lawns of the Lobby” in the National Triangle, writes dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON.
Rosa’s opens early for coffee and breakfast and runs through the afternoon seven days a week (hours vary, so check the website; we got caught once with Rosa’s being closed).
It’s a pretty location, even though the National Rose Garden isn’t in full bloom this time of year. However, the autumn trees are stunning and Rosa’s has a massive deck with plenty of seating and several communal wooden tables scattered about on the lawns themselves for a relaxed vibe.
Rosa’s serves pastries, brekky rolls, sandwiches, panini, pizza and coffee to take away. Or choose to dine onsite, which is what we did.
It was a sunny Sunday, and we were cruising so ordered our dishes at the counter one at a time, relaxing in between.
To tantalise our tastebuds we kickstarted with quality, intense, briny Ortiz anchovies with sourdough, loving that Rosa’s provides a thick wedge of fresh lemon and a small side dish of chilli powder to perk matters up ($26, but worth every bite).
A gorgeous-looking dish, and another great starter, was the Stracciatella cheese with swirls of vibrant, ruby red beet oil, dribbles of bright green basil oil, and dollops of sweet leatherwood honey ($24). We initially wondered about the honey, but it worked a treat.
Now it was time for pizza and more pizza ($23 to $30). Seven are on the menu and we road-tested three.
First up was the “potato bake” with Fior di latte and gorgonzola combined. It features roast potato, toasted garlic and rosemary. It was piping hot and the cheese wonderfully melted. Yum. Yum. Yum.
King prawns featured on our next pizza and Rosa’s didn’t skimp on ingredients. We were attracted to the addition of Nduja, a spicy, spreadable pork sausage from Italy’s Calabria region. Ndjua packs a punch but doesn’t overwhelm if used in the right proportion. Rosa’s makes this pizza with a garlic cream, intense tomato sauce, fresh parsley and bold, complex parmesan. It was fantastic.
The “sausage time” pizza didn’t skimp on ingredients either and, again, was served piping hot. Gotta love sausage combining pork and fennel, with zippy chilli, pickle and a blend of Fior di latte and parmesan.
Rosa’s was packed when we were there, but the staff coped relatively well, were friendly and took the time to ask customers for feedback.
The wine list is short and sharp. Marc Bredif Chenin Black, Vouvray, Loire Valley (2022) was $20/glass and $88/bottle. MDI Pinot Grigio, Pasut Vineyard, Mildura $14/$60 and Vasse Felix Classic Dry Rose, Shiraz, Margaret River $13/$55. Beers, ciders and spirits are available.
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