Time and time over, my tummy would have a sudden craving for Italian food. Just a couple of days after having a pleasant yet SERIOUSLY cheap Italian food at Sofia’s and again I was in the mood for some more Italian kitchen action. I could not really figure out where to go but random memories popped back in an instant as I recall hearing about a place called Universal so I goog-led it out and true enough there was a place on Lygon st. called Universal Italian food. So it was decided then that darling and Kelvin would come with me to try it out too!
The place was pretty empty when we reached and the waitress was quick in making us comfortable. The emptiness got us a bit worked up but then again maybe a quarter past 6 was a little too early? hehe. Unable to decide what we would have, we decided to start with the Bruschetta!
Not your typical Bruschetta as this was oven baked. This somewhat killed the freshness of the tomatoes but fortunately, the melted fetta was a blessing. Overall it was OK although melted fetta + fresh tomatoes would be best! Ahah and it was funny how my housemates thought the base was drizzled with chocolate sauce but was instead something else which I think is the Balsamic Vinegar.
After fondling the menu and turning it back and front we finally decided to order two type of food instead of three as we were still quite full from the lunch before. I think we had our lunch in Menya but I’m not to sure. It has been quite a while since I had this meal. Almost two weeks now! Writing these post makes me miss Melbourne!! Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh *sobs*! We decided to go with;
Ribs and Chicken Wing Combo.
This looked like a Carbonara but it was not. Funnily enough that even though it taste and feels like one, it is called a Fettuccini Roma.
These two dishes were not quite as yummy as the appetizer but definitely not crappy as well. The biggest problem about the wings and ribs was that the seasoning was just too simple. Perhaps a little more taste will help it shine? As for the pasta, all it lacked was salt. More salt would have been good considering how it tasted flat.
Overall the food here is edible by standards but its not killer material in any way. Maybe we were the few early customers and the chefs were not warmed up yet but either ways it feels as if they were not at their best. And when we were done at about 7.30 or so, the place started to crowd and perhaps it was then that we should have arrived. Universal is cheap by a Perth-ling standard. At 13 bucks, this was nowhere near the 25-30 dollar price I would normally pay for an Italian meal in Perth. I’m not going to end this saying whether this place is recommended or nor because in the end everyone has different taste. Just give it a shot. 13 bucks and a meal is not too much to lose!!
WenY
