What's been happening to me lately? Plenty, that's what. Here is a glimpse of one of the more enjoyable things I have been privileged to experience.

I went to this excellent Italian restaurant last Thursday night for a friend's birthday dinner. Aside from waiting an hour for entrées arrive and another 45 minutes for mains (which kind of goes without saying in 4+ Star restaurants) everything was pretty damn cool at La Opera, Maroochydore. In true Italian style, everything looked immaculate and imported.. or at least purchased from a boutique store. The lighting was well done and set the mood perfectly while the sax player mingled around in the background, playing as softly as he could.

The evening started with drinks and plenty of interesting conversation. As the boys started to get bored, some kind of mobile phone competition started to see who had the most pimped-out and geek-worthy communication device. Tim won in straight sets. His could record video, play MP3s, tell you the time in over a dozen languages and, most importantly, play Lemmings and Doom in full colour. Needless to say I was impressed.

Most people opted for the plain or parmesan bruschetta entrées, but a few others drew many drooling stares as they defensively devoured their calamari or oyster dishes. At first I thought it was pretty funny watching some of my culturally ignorant friends try and order Italian dishes with very Italian names and to be corrected by the increasingly frustrated Italian waiter.. but more hilarity was forthcoming. As peoples main courses were being served, most had forgotten the name of the dish which they had ordered. Some initially took a guess over what was being called by the waiter and waitress, but there were a few swaps going on before people started to chow down. The funniest thing was that after about six of the twenty-or-so courses had been served, the poor waiter started coming out saying (with his best Aussie accent) "pasta with bacon?" "pasta with chilli?" "steak?". His facial expressions were priceless. Embarrassed, while desperately hoping that everyone was getting the right meal and probably thinking if his mother ever heard him bastardising his culture like that he'd get a swift clip behind the ear as though he'd been using dirty words or something. When he finally came out with the last few dishes and proudly announced "Lasagne!" and "Spaghetti Bolognese", everyone cheered. I quietly took my Rigatoni Amatriciana and dined delightedly. Delish!

As everyone was beginning to finish their main course, Marco (the talented saxophonist) asked politely in fractured English if our meals were to our liking and if he could step things up a little in the musical department? I told him "Bellissimo Bello!". His face lit up and I think that relaxed him some. Everyone else told him "It's all great, mate!" and agreed that he should bust out some more up-tempo tunes. I really got into it but it seemed it was too much for some. Too loud perhaps? I'm not quite sure, but they didn't have to ruin the mood by clinking their glasses with cutlery to the beat. That was just rude. 

Anydangway.. In an effort to put a stop to this distraction, Marco gathered a few of the other staff around and sang Happy Birthday to Alyssa in their native tongue. While managing to embarrass Lys with all the attention, everyone else loved it, including her Mum who was initially mistaken for the 22 year old birthday girl. I love the way Italians compliment the ladies! So smooth...

A few people had to leave early, while others had just had enough, but for the rest of us it was into the coffee and wine bar for after dinner treats and chilled beats. This is what really made my night. This 'experience' just kept getting better. The Italian suede leather couches, expensive looking but tasteful artworks on the walls and THE most funky coffee machine I had ever seen were just a few things that instantly caught my eye. It wasn't until I had ordered my Latté that everything just sort of came together to complete the night for me. They were serving Illy brand Italian imported coffee. For those that don't know, Illy coffee (in my opinion) is the best tasting coffee in the world. Sweet as can be and smooth as silk. Three Lattés and several complimentary chocolates later, I was in proverbial caffeinated heaven. 

Needless to say, I will be returning to this restaurant again one day. It wasn't just a meal, but an experience. Everything was conservatively priced as well which always helps. The staff were polite and accommodating and did well in dealing with the few that couldn't understand a word of Italian. The food was awesome and atmosphere was the best I've ever experienced on the Coast.

8.8 out of 10 for La Opera!

Bellissimo!

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