La Camera - 3 Stars

Friendly not fancy – not fine dining but fine enough for most.

Generally speaking, and particularly in Melbourne, it’s true. The more you spend, the better the meal. Some may disagree, my dad for example (probably any man that answers to dad), but by and large I find food in Melbourne is usually worth the price you pay.

Then of course, there’s the ridiculously cheap – the lunch deals you wonder how an establishment can afford to provide. It’s risky, indulging in such offers – much more room for error or disappointment (or slightly off produce). Which is probably why I ignored those on offer at Southgate’s La Camera recently. Besides that, I get paid to do this column, andwhich comes with a certain obligation to spend …

La Camera is not exactly one of Southgate’s fancier offerings, but it would appear a great number of people visiting Southgate are not after fancy. On a sunny Monday lunchtime the place is packed, with the down-to-earth vibe suggesting it rarely slows down.

Their deal? The lunch deal is a $10 pizza special, and there are also $15 and $20 lunch deals – all with several options to choose from (although not available Fridays to Sunday nor during December and January). I’m told there’s lots of breakfast specials as well.

We trawl instead through the regular menu, the likes of which you often come across on holidays. At first glance it appears there are a million and one options to choose from but on closer inspection, it’s mostly just lots of pizza, pasta and meat.

We select one of the more interesting-sounding dishes, the insalata di cappesante – seared Japanese scallops on a potato pancake with a watercress, rocket, fennel and orange salad, which at $26.90, we felt was obliged to deliver.

To balance this out, we also chose a heavier dish, the gnocchi con coda di bue brasato (oxtail with pancetta, basil, chilli, vegetable and mushroom ragu) for $23.90. While we waited, the friendly and exuberant Italian waiter had a half-hearted attempt at convincing us the white wine by the glass was “very good”, conceding rather sheepishly as he put it down that perhaps instead, “it wasn’t bad …” and that about summed it up too.

Meanwhile some absolutely fabulous-looking pizzas began making their way past – large, thin, crispy-looking bases and a smattering of brightly-coloured, fresh-looking toppings – and all for just 10 bucks. Mmm. My lunch partner then confessed she used to come here regularly for the pizzas, confirming they were indeed very good.

Then out came our meals. There were just the five scallops, although they were indeed large. A touch muddy, some more so than others. The potato pancake was bland, but the orange salad provided a fresh citrusy burst to compensate.

The gnocchi came complete with the bones of two ox tails, with the majority of meat having melted its way into the dish – not sure the inclusion of the bones themselves was entirely necessary. The gnocchi was a touch gluggy and the ragu a touch gelatinous, but it was also rich and intense. The slow-cooked meat was suitably flaky and soft and the chilli just managed to speak up over all that was going on in there (lots of pancetta almost pushing the richness into obscene wealth at times).

The meals were fine – good, solid performers in an open and friendly environment and maybe had all things been similarly-priced, they wouldn’t have left a slightly sour taste in our mouths.  They were good, yes, but they definitely weren’t the best value for money in the room.

Still, there was lots to like about La Camera. Easy, friendly and lots of (nothing special, but hard to go wrong with) options to choose from. And cheap – if you know how to order and aren’t showing off ...

Location: Address is 2 Southgate Avenue, but entry is from the mid-level of the Southgate building (next to the arts centre) and above the food court.