Maranellos, Maroubra Junction.

If you live in Maroubra Junction, or at least visited Maroubra Junction, you will not want to miss out on this amazing Italian restaurant, Maranellos. Located at the very front of Pacific Square shopping mall (where I live, yay!!), it is surrounded with glass windows, showcasing the yummiest food on people's table. Surely to make your stomach begging to be filled with Maranellos' delicious Italian cuisine.

Speaking from personal experience, every time I walk pass Maranellos, I couldn't help myself but peek (and sometimes stare) at people's food, just to know what that was, and remind myself to try that on my next visit. I've been here several times, and so thankful that it is only located few steps away from where I live.

All the staffs were very, very friendly and attentive, making sure that you have everything that you need. One other thing that I love is that they give a bowl of grated parmesan cheese and chilli in olive oil, on every table. I'm a sucker for parmesan cheese. I can put it on any food, be it Italian, or even Chinese food.

Oh, and ps, their portion is hyuuuge. I love it.

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Risotto Genovese - Italian arboria rice simmered with king prawns in a basil pesto pink cream sauce (AUD 20.90)

The first thing you can smell once this risotto comes is the pesto in the pink cream sauce. It was so fragrant and the flavour was actually really good. Nothing like I've ever had before. Generous serving of the king prawns on top, and you can tell that the prawns are so fresh, and cooked to crunchy perfection. 

Spaghetti, Prawn and Scallop aglio - olive oil, cherry tomato, baby spinach and lots of garlic (AUD 23.90)

If you love your aglio olio and seafood, this is a go-to dish for you. Again, generous serving of perfectly cooked prawns and scallops folded through the al dente spaghetti, tossed in the very garlic-y olive oil. The cherry tomato adds freshness to the whole thing, which is much needed, considering there's a lot of olive oil involved.
Very perfect with the addition of grated parmesan cheese on the table.

 Pizza Margherita - mozzarella cheese, basil leaves and drizzle of virgin olive oil (AUD 15.90 for medium)

Simplicity at its best. You can definitely tell that they use a very high quality mozzarella, because you can't get such a scrumptious margherita pizza without one. The fresh basil leaves under the melted cheese adds a really nice aroma. The crust were very thin and crispy on the edges. Perfect for my liking.
Oh, and for a medium, this is quite large. <- that's a weird sentence right there.

Pollo Boscaiola - chicken breast fillet cooked in mushroom, ham, bacon & shallots in cream sauce (AUD 24.90)

Sometimes I hesitate on ordering a chicken breast fillet dish. Like, I will always consider it as a last option. Don't know why, says Norah Jones.
 But, when one of my friends ordered this to share... I didn't expect it to be that good. Seriously, not exaggerating. The cream sauce was actually the star here, it was so gooooood. I could taste the sweetness from the shallots and I think the bacon contributed to the flavour as well. There was chunks of roasted potatoes and perfectly cooked chunky carrot.
But, really I love the cream sauce so much. And the portion <3

Chicken Mushroom Risotto - Italian arborio rice simmered with chicken breast, button mushroon and shallots in cream sauce (AUD 22.90)

It was a veeery creamy risotto. As if the starchy rice didn't give enough creaminess, the cream sauce added an even richer consistency. The risotto as a whole was great, although I prefer it to be a bit more salty. But, with the grated parmesan cheese on the table, the flavour will be just right.
I recommend that you share this, cause it's really huge and rich. 

Spaghetti Marinara - tiger king prawns, calamari, local black mussels, fresh cuttle fish, baby octopus, garlic, chilli, parsley in a napoletana sauce (AUD 24.90)

This might be the signature dish of Maranellos, because I can see this pasta dish ordered on almost every table, every time I visit Maranellos. What's not to like? The, again, super generous serving of seafood, perfectly cooked and super fresh. The napoletana sauce binds the whole thing together. It's all well worth it for 25 bucks, even I think 25 bucks is a great value for all the fresh seafood you get on this dish. Super recommended for seafood lover.

Nutella Dessert Pizza - served with gelato and strawberries (AUD 15.90 for medium)

Maranellos doesn't only do great savoury pizzas, they also conquered the dessert pizza with this decadent nutella pizza. The crust was so thin and crispy, slightly sweet, topped with a generous spread of nutella. The vanilla ice cream is essential to complete that chocolate-ice cream combo, and also the strawberry that adds the tangy freshness. Perfect ending for a perfect meal.

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 Will be back for sure to try their other dishes, especially the one I saw people eating from the window.


Food: 8.5/10
Ambience: 7.5/10
Price: $$