Mama's Trattoria gone?!!

Mumma’s have moved to West Row, Melbourne Building.

John Moulis said :

Postalgeek said :

GardeningGirl said :

jsm2090 said :

What concerns me more is how depressed that area of Civic is looking now.

It’s awful. Old Civic, run down and depressing, surrounded by various versions of new Civic, parts of which are quite nice but mostly in a bland could-be-anywhere way. Civic could be so much better.

Hardly surprising when Canberra Center developers have successfully managed to close off shoppers to the outside world. They don’t even have to leave the Center to cross a road now. Couldn’t think of a better way to kill off outside trade and ‘boulevards’.

You mean there is actually something else in Civic apart from the Canberra Centre? On the rare occasion I visit Civic I park in the Canberra Centre, shop in the Canberra Centre, pay for my parking then leave.

I sometimes go for a walk around, and then hurry back to the Centre.

Garema Place could have the sort of attractions that the Centre could never offer. Seems to me there’s opportunity for both to provide something for visitors to Civic. Garema Place could have outdoor dining, live entertainment (regularly, not just in association with some festival), art exhibitions, chess (hmm, that rings a bell). But it took on an aura of being the domain of inconsiderate skateboarders and pushy beggars long ago, which IMO was more damaging to its viability than the construction of the mall extensions. I’m coming to the conclusion that some aspects of Canberra could be so much better . . . if it wasn’t for the fact that they couldn’t be. If that area hasn’t managed to develop into a vibrant attractive area by now, with the population growth of the city as a whole and the inner city in particular, when will it?

Nice that the ice cream scoop has gone to a good home. 🙂

Still plenty of good eating out on the street. Bunda street. Garema place as been declining for many years.

Yep, vale Cafe Della Piazza. While the food quality and service was variable, I had some magnificent meals there, and their wine list was very good indeed.

Its loss was much more significant than Mama’s. As PP has said, the Desolation Row that used to be the Civic restaurant precinct is sad. How come West Row et al are packed with eateries, while the ‘heart’ of the city is dead?

Postalgeek said :

GardeningGirl said :

jsm2090 said :

What concerns me more is how depressed that area of Civic is looking now.

It’s awful. Old Civic, run down and depressing, surrounded by various versions of new Civic, parts of which are quite nice but mostly in a bland could-be-anywhere way. Civic could be so much better.

Hardly surprising when Canberra Center developers have successfully managed to close off shoppers to the outside world. They don’t even have to leave the Center to cross a road now. Couldn’t think of a better way to kill off outside trade and ‘boulevards’.

You mean there is actually something else in Civic apart from the Canberra Centre? On the rare occasion I visit Civic I park in the Canberra Centre, shop in the Canberra Centre, pay for my parking then leave.

Postalgeek said :

Hardly surprising when Canberra Center developers have successfully managed to close off shoppers to the outside world. They don’t even have to leave the Center to cross a road now. Couldn’t think of a better way to kill off outside trade and ‘boulevards’.

Quite.

Indeed, this was the reason given by the operators of Caffe Della Piazza when they closed down many years ago. They described it as some sort of protest against the Canberra Centre expansion if I recall.

CDP was a fantastic fall back, where you knew you’d get a great meal, plus an excellent wine to go with, for a reasonable price.

It was easily my favourite casual dining option in town and I still miss it.

Alf said :

I now own their ice-cream scoop. It is a thing of beauty – solid, one piece, German-made, with 20 years plus of love and patination. And it was $2!

Good score!

We seem to lack cheap’n’cheerful Italian pasta restaurants. Cafe Pronto used to sort-of fit the bill, but you’d think Garema Place would be perfect for it. It’s certainly changed, 10 years ago or so there were so many restaurants there, it was really popping. Although I tended to veer to della piazza, mama’s being a bit variable.

GardeningGirl said :

jsm2090 said :

What concerns me more is how depressed that area of Civic is looking now.

It’s awful. Old Civic, run down and depressing, surrounded by various versions of new Civic, parts of which are quite nice but mostly in a bland could-be-anywhere way. Civic could be so much better.

Hardly surprising when Canberra Center developers have successfully managed to close off shoppers to the outside world. They don’t even have to leave the Center to cross a road now. Couldn’t think of a better way to kill off outside trade and ‘boulevards’.

I really liked this place, although the food did seem more special when I first started going about five years ago. They had a sale of all their crockery on a Saturday morning just after they closed. I now own their ice-cream scoop. It is a thing of beauty – solid, one piece, German-made, with 20 years plus of love and patination. And it was $2!

Had dinner at Italian & Sons last Friday night, and can assure readers that the notion that people have switched from Mamas-type trattorias to I &S is ludicrous.

I &S is at least twice as expensive. That said, Mamas and its ilk have pretty much outgrown their usefulness, having put up their prices while serving very ordinary food. There is always a place for cheap and cheerful restaurants, but when they become mediocre and overpriced, the writing is on the wall. People are not prepared to pay $20+ for a plate of pasta and sauce which they could make at home for $5, even allowing for buying the best pre-made sauce on the market (which is not at all bad).

It will be interesting to see if they re-open. The mediocre, overpriced restaurant market in Canberra is pretty saturated. Cheap and cheerful is another thing entirely.