It was Sunday night and MS and I were so damn hungover that all we really wanted to do was eat crap food (or as the professionals call it – Carb Load).  The whole hangover thing really isn’t doing wonders for my self esteem especially when we end up at La Porchetta with our Table 52 card.  No carbs as of next week I swear!  So yeah like I said we rocked up at La Porchetta on the Sunday and we were greeted by an unfriendly lady at the counter that showed us to a table right next to another couple.  Being the ‘you can’t tell me what to do’ type person that he is MS promptly moved us to another table a little further down and outside the 1 metre radius to other diners that was expected of us.  I know that waitstaff do that so it’s easier to serve you but it just seemed a little close to everyone else considering we were pretty much in an empty restaurant.

The lady bought us some water since that was probably all I could stomach and it made me feel better about the content of the meal I was about to consume.  We had a look over their extensive menu and I mean it is a pretty extensive menu from Parmigiana’s to Calzones to Salad.  We both knew what we wanted (pizza and pasta) but it was just choosing which type that proved difficult.  MS chose the Pollo Et Fungi which was Lean Chicken Pieces, Spring Onions, Mushrooms and Parmesan Cheese in a Cream Sauce with Fettucine (AU$19.40) and in the end true to form I chose the Mushroom Pasta also with Fettucine (AU$18.20) because how good are mushrooms in pasta?  We also chose a medium Caprese Pizza with Tomato Base, Bocconcini, Fresh Tomato, Basil and Olive Oil to share for AU$18.80 (don’t judge us).

There was only two other occupied tables in the entire, extremely large restaurant and these tables were already eating or had finished their meals so I knew it wouldn’t take long for our meals to arrive.  We chatted about our extremely large night on the town that ended up in, well lets just say some practical jokes being played and a fire hose being discharged in an alley way to ease chilli burns in the nether regions (note: no revellers were injured in our escapades but MS may have suffered a little blow to his huge ego).  It was still a good night had by all despite the ensuing and cripling hangover that was continuing well into the evening for me.

Looking around the restaurant I noticed that the kitchen seems to be run by about 3 or 4 apprentice chefs.  I mean they could have been qualified but they were very young.  I didn’t care as long as my meal came out in good time and it tasted good.  Our meals arrived in good time and by god I am pretty sure my hangover eased just at the sight of that pizza.  It was cheesy, the base was crunchy, it had pesto on it and by all accounts I would have to say it’s one of the best pizzas that I have had in a long time.  I know one of my readers commented a little while back that La Porchetta has the best pizzas in town and I did say I would get there eventually.  Right you were my friend!  Ok, so the only other pizzas that I have had in the last 6 months would probably be a AU$5 pizza at Bella Vista 2-4-1’s on a Friday or the 4 Cheese Pizza from Bel Paese that I raved about a couple of months ago.  I’m going to have to break rank here and say that this La Porcetta Bocconcini and Tomato Pizza was better.  Oh god it was good.

Caprese Pizza – Tomato Base, Bocconcini, Fresh Tomato, Basil and Olive Oil (AU$18.80 )

Next up, our pasta dishes.  MS started out eating his.  I asked him how it was and he replied “Yeah it’s ok” but by halfway through the dish he decided that it was delicious and apparently just what the doctor ordered.  Since then MS’ review of his pasta dish has only improved and upon departure he confirmed that his pasta was in fact awesome.  Not quite as good as his first experience at Bel Paese but it was up there for sure.

Pollo Et Fungi – Lean Chicken Pieces, Spring Onions, Mushrooms and Parmesan Cheese in a Cream Sauce with Fettucine (AU$19.40)

After I doused my pasta in Tabasco Sauce because lets face it, all pasta benefits from Tabasco Sauce, I dug in and I have to agree it was awesome in it’s carby goodness.  There was plenty of mushrooms in there and the serving size was massive for little old me but I still put a fair dint in it with very little left in my bowl when I finally decided I was finished.

Mushroom Pasta with Fettucine (AU$18.20)

So it turns out the unfriendly lady wasn’t so unfriendly after all, MS won her over with his wit and charm throughout our meal and she loosened up a little and even smiled in the end.  Seems to me that she had had a long week and was looking forward to closing time but she was nice enough.  First impressions really do count for me but she came good in the end.

In the end, after finishing off two bowls of pasta and a medium pizza (I’m pretty sure we shared a kebab in the wee hours of the morning – again don’t judge us) we went home and only communicated through grunts and moans from reclined positions on the couch.  But seriously, if you want a good feed of Pasta and (I’m gonna go out on a limb here) probably what some would consider to be the best pizzas in town (I’m an advocate) then head down to La Porchetta.  Hangover or no hangover it’s still gonna be just what the doctor ordered.

La Porchetta

108 – 114 Grafton St, Cairns QLD 4870

Ph: (07) 4031 6661

Opening Hours: Mon – Sun 11.30am – 10pm

Website: www.laporchetta.com