La Baia Bar Cucina

Tucked along Beaconsfield Parade, next to South Melbourne Beach, La Baia Bar Cucina is a beautiful restaurant and bar which boasts stunning vistas of the ocean.

The spacious restaurant occupies two levels and possesses a relaxed ambience. Friday nights also feature a local jazz and blue duo that keep you entertained over your dinner visiting creating a rather romantic atmosphere.

The menu celebrates Italian cuisine with daily specials to keep regulars interested and coming back for more. There is also a solid drinks list to accompany the delicious food.

We loved tasting our way through La Baia’s menu. We were recommended the Caprese moderna from the daily specials list and were happy to oblige. Beautiful whole buffalo mozzarella had been crumbed and deep fried to a golden perfection and served with basil and cinnamon infused broth and served with fresh cherry tomatoes. It was an elegant start to our evening.

The Melenzane Ripiene was similarly delicious. We loved the luscious eggplant stuffed with fresh ricotta and grana Padano.

A visit to La Baia would of course be incomplete without a plate of their incredible gnocchi. As expected, the Gnocchi Quattro Formaggi was a stunner. Pillow soft gnocchi sat in a luxurious sauce of 4 cheeses (gorgonzola, groviera, taleggio and grana padano) and had been baked in terracotta so there was a scrumptious layer of caramelised cheese. Absolutely delicious!

For mains we recommend getting one of their steaks which are all grass fed and aged for an average of 3 Weeks. Cooked to your liking each steak comes with your choice of sauce and a side dish. Our eye fillet arrived adorned with a sprinkling of truffle salt. The delicious piece of perfectly cooked eye fillet was delicious. A light searing ensured that it was lined with a thin crisp layer packed with caramelised beef flavour. The meat was intense with characteristic beefy notes and a deep earthy richness. Texturally, the beef was sublime with a decadent melt in the mouth, almost buttery, consistency.

Dessert time continued to please at La Baia. The ‘Tiramisu’ was beatiful and light while the Sticky Date Pudding topped with ice-cream was hearty and comforting.

An Italian bar and restaurant with Italian hospitality, La Baia delivers warm and friendly service and an authentic Italian dining experience.

Location: 16/123 Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park

Phone: 03 9042 2251

Link: www.labaiabarcucina.com