Piadina Slow Food, Melbourne

I'm sorry, but this is one fad I'm not sucked in by. The piadina bubble of 2006. A culinary yo-yo and rubik's cube all rolled (or folded) into one. Anyone still eating this stuff in 2008 will probably be wearing leg-warmers and an oversized "choose life" t-shirt. Or maybe a hypercolour t-shirt? Or both.



Do you get the impression that I was less than impressed by my breakfast at Piadina Slow Food, 57 Lonsdale Street (backing onto Punch Lane), Melbourne, Tel +61 3 9662 2277?

Well you're right. It was a dud.

I ordered the scrambled egg, parmesan and spinach piadina with bacon, and it arrived looking very much like a burrito (nicely rolled up). The problem was, there was no parmesan (none that my humble taste buds could detect), and some genius decided to soil the whole thing with za'atar [I originally moaned about dukkah, but I have since been corrected]. It was gross. Maybe some people like eggs and za'atar. I don't. It tasted like someone had swept greasy lawn clippings and dirt into my breakfast. And I really hate it when "bonus" ingredients are added without warning (ie, not listed on the menu). I ate half and gave up.

OK, got that off my chest.

So, why is everyone else raving about PSF? It is a buzzy little venue, particularly if you score a booth. They do serve a decent cappucino, from BunCoffee in Byron Bay (although at lunch time they have an annoying rule that coffee can only be ordered at the same time as you order your food, supposedly to hurry things along... slow food, not slow eating). And, for lunch, the slow food options are really very good.

For a different perspective (ie, rave review), try Ukelele, Mellie or the Matt Preston piadina puff piece for Epicure.

12/20 "flat bread fad"