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
We started of with this really large crusty pizza overloaded with cheese and a garlicky after taste! This monster was at least 30 cm in diameter.
Sofia’s offer what they called a Pasta for two which allows you to choose three type of pasta on one large platter. This was my choice called Spaghetti Sofia’s which has prawns, bacons and ooh the ever so delicious scallops! Slurps!!
The Lasagne was the other choice of my companions that night! And we had a serve of gnocchi in the middle! This was by far the cheapest pasta I have ever eaten. And this is even cheaper than the pasta in the university’s ref. And the uni pasta sucks! Always overcooked and never al dente. 
This was the seafood misto that we ordered to share as well. Loaded with crumbled calamari, scallops, prawns and fish, this was the meal you know you had to share. And that went down well with us considering we had a large group of 8 people! For this dish, I felt that it was pretty fresh considering none of it had the foul seafood stench. And it was well fried. I mean you have to consider the price and time taken to serve you right? ehehe. :D!!
Pistachio, water melon, orange, lemon, chocolate and mint all stacked into a humungous tower! Nothing to shout about thought. Freddos on Lygon win flat out.
Table decor
See the froth and get weak on your knees. This is the thickest froth I have ever had in Melbourne. And oh god it was sooo satisfying!! I cannot help but mention how important this layer of froth is in hot drinks. Been to places that serves hot drinks with an almost non-existent layer of froth and that really shows how passionate they are about being a barrister. With no froth, it feels as if the milk came from a microwave. Mart 130 serves the best classic hot chocolate in Melbourne. For me at least! :D!! Even Max Brenner’s creative Malteser copy cat is no match ahah.
My brekkie pick. Corn fritters with crispy bacon streaks serve with drizzles of relish and a serve of sour cream. Hope I got that right. I’ll soon elaborate more about this very fancy looking piece of edible art.
lil girl’s poached eggs on sourdough with avocado mash and crispy bacon with hollandaise sauce. I would have personally chosen this as my favourite after trying all the food we ordered. The eggs felt slightly overcooked as the yolk did not turn out to be as runny as I would have preferred. Bacon streaks were crisp and slightly charred, just the way I like it. And amazingly this platter of eggs, mash, bacon and bread turned out to be a whole lot more filling that I thought it would be. Lil girl was overloaded.
Kelvin’s set was somewhat similar to XL with the exception of the avocado mash and bacon. Instead, Kelvin had chorizos and olives cooked in what looked like an Italian herb tomato sauce. The chorizos were yummy mummy but the olives were.. urgh @.@! No olives thanks :D! 
Ok peeps, this is the supposedly yummy oven baked corn fritters that my good ol buddy Yobi told me about. And really, it is not only him that I’m getting this input from. Bloggers love this dish from Mart 130. The reception for this dish has been particularly impressive on that day as well. I saw most if not all tables of 3 or more having at least 1 of it. But for me unfortunately, I did not see a dish that reflected what I liked. Firstly having said fritters, I was expecting something more airy and crispy. So crispy that I initially thought that an additional set of eggs and bread was needed to make me full. But instead, these were more of corn cakes heavily loaded with flour and corn which equally congested my digestive system. The taste of corn was not lacking in any way which is good for corn lovers. I like corn in a way that is buttered and done up through a grill in any flavour. Nandos is one that I enjoy thoroughly. But this one here just did not make the mark. Maybe next time just a little crispier? I finished last in this breakfast race. :'(