A few months ago, I was invited to attend Cantina’s gnocchi masterclass and always remembered how pillowy soft the gnocchi was. As the weather was getting cooler, I have been craving for a good hearty gnocchi and Cantina’s gnocchi always came to my mind.

We had the pan fried gnocchi with mushrooms, pecorino, truffle oil, pinenuts and herb ($26). The gnocchi was buttery and pillowy soft just as I remembered. My mum who is not a big fan of gnocchi was converted to a gnocchi lover after this dish. The earthy flavours of the mushroom, crunchy pinenuts and light textures of the pecorino, herb and truffle oil complements well with the texturally perfect gnocchi.

Next up was the spanish pork and beef meatballs with charred bread, pimenton sauce, lemon yoghurt and herbs ($21). A hearty and heartwarming dish perfect for a wintry day. The meatballs were meaty-licious and the pimenton sauce combined with the lemon yoghurt gave the meatballs a punch of flavour and zest.

Our third dish was the slow cooked beef croquettes with poached egg, creme fraiche and chimmichurri ($21). It’s crunchy on the outside surrounding the tender, slow cooked beef. The chimmichurri sauce added a hint of freshness and zest to the beef croquettes.

With some room in our stomachs, we decided to try the two cakes available on that day. We had the Nutella brownie and strawberries and cream cake. Both of the cakes were delicious. The Nutella brownie was not overly sweet but chocolatey and very nutty in flavour. The strawberries and cream cake was moist and had a lovely strawberry and cream flavour with the right amount of sweetness.

Cantina has been a local institution along the Beaufort Street strip in Mount Lawley since 2008 and to this day, it is still a foodie and local’s favourite. I’m already looking forward to be back for dinner to try the dinner menu and will definitely be back to satisfy my gnocchi cravings.

Want to learn how to recreate Cantina’s gnocchi at home? You can attend Cantina’s two hour gnocchi masterclass and learn how to make fresh, handmade gnocchi with Chef Reuben. It’s $80 per person.