UPDATE, March 2016: Spaghetti & Jazz is now open for Breakfast and lunch Tuesday – Sunday. Lunch special includes two courses and a glass of wine for $29.00
Spaghetti & Jazz: the name may be quirky, but the restaurant is not. Situated on the ground level of a set of suburban shops in Robina, Spaghetti & Jazz is not a ‘stumble upon’ restaurant. Rather than relying on tourist dollars, the restaurant’s success is based on the return custom of patrons who appreciate the hospitality that Natalie and Joe Palumbo offer.
We love food, wine, and entertaining guests at home,” Natalie tells us. “Now we entertain in our restaurant.” Entertain they do, and we feel right at home!
Fabulous service is never out of fashion! Natalie and Joe exude the charm of seasoned hosts, covering the floor, instructing staff, showing an eye for detail too often missing elsewhere. Joe greets every customer at the door. We’re ushered to our table, given complimentary water and our drinks order taken. The evening continues with faultless, cheerful and attentive service.
We’d made the booking through Yumtable, giving us a 25% discount, yet we are treated no differently to other diners. When we leave, the deduction has been taken from our bill without us having to ask – just a little point, but one of many which add up to make the night ‘special’. In this restaurant, it’s obvious that the diner is king!
Detail is evident in the food as well. Our meals are classic Italian with no fancy twists, just beautifully cooked and generous in size. Pasta Chef Vittorio Corvi, (sponsored from Italy by the Palumbos), makes all the pasta and some of the bread in house. My Spaghetti with lobster (30) is cooked to perfection, run through with fresh tomato, a little bite of chilli and EVO sauce together with succulent local seafood.
The Reef and Beef ($35) is a triumph of a dish, the tender steak topped with large bugs, the vegetables just slightly crunchy. We’ve even left room for dessert and, after a napkin change, a Fig and Chocolate Pannacotta topped with a Spaghetti & Jazz insignia chocolate ($14) arrives, accompanied by a complimentary limoncello. Luscious!
Part modern Italian trattoria with a long bar, atmospheric artwork, linen-clad tables and comfortable chairs, Spaghetti & Jazz features live music and even a dance floor. Surrounded by family groups and couples, the setting is romantic, the ambience added to when the music begins, and several couples get up to dance.
There’s a rustic timelessness to this spacious family-run restaurant that makes it suitable for every generation. It would be a great place to celebrate big and small occasions with family, work or social groups, enjoying good food and bonhomie in comfortable surrounds. We chose drinks from the extensive beverage menu featuring reasonably priced wines.
In an industry where diners flit from ‘latest venture’ to ‘trendy place’ like seagulls squabbling over a crust, Spaghetti & Jazz sits apart. It’s great to know that some things remain constant crowd pleasers: generous serves of fabulous food made from scratch, excellent service, atmosphere, and a ‘show’ to hold it all together.
But at Spaghetti & Jazz ‘the show’ is more than its parts. Nobody is more welcoming in their dedication and passion to please others than the Italians! Yet somehow we know that Natalie and Joe Palumbo’s hospitality is genuine; it comes from the heart.
30 – 34 Commerce Drive, Robina Ph: 07 5593 2311
Open: Wednesday – Sunday 7am – late
NOTE: Yumtable gave GFGC a financial incentive to try their booking app at any restaurant. No cost to us to join, the discount was automatically taken off the bill by the restaurant. Excellent!