July 17, 2025
Michael had been keeping a close eye on the opening of Times New Roman, a Brunswick sibling to Fitzroy's cheap and cheerful pasta restaurant Good Times. It was instantly very popular, booked out and not conducive to the spontaneous walk-in we most wanted for cheap and cheerful pasta. Luckily, we're also willing to eat early in our advancing ages, so we later successfully nabbed a right-on-opening weeknight spot at the end of the central communal table.
I really liked the warm, nostalgic fit-out, which reminded me of the Waiters' Restaurant. The menu's available on paper, but orders at more easily lodged and paid for by QR code. There's a list of a dozen tinned fishes and other little savouries like cheese, Cheezels, olives, pickles, and cucumber stuffed with cashew whip. We split a mini burrata ($6), which was fresh, just a little oozy, and well seasoned with olive oil and pepper.
We skipped past the salads and focused on pasta, about half of which were vegetarian. Three vegan options and a $3 gluten-free penne surcharge were clearly noted. The mushroom garlic white wine ragu ($18) was more spaghetti than sauce; well flavoured and not excessively rich.
Meanwhile, the rigatoni were thickly coated in basil pesto ($17) and studded with just a few walnuts. It was a hearty winter bowl, not brightly summery as basil often feels. In both cases, we found the pasta chewy - perhaps authentically al dente, but tougher than we personally prefer.
It wasn't the right night for dessert (a choice of choc chip cookie tiramisu or peach cheesecake). We liked the cosy, casual style of Times New Roman but it remains to be seen whether it'll slip easily into our local eating habits.
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Times New Roman
66 Lygon St, Brunswick East
0403 848 961
Accessibility: There's one step up and a low desk that narrows the entry. Furniture is densely packed and low height, a mixture of tight booths and backed chairs. We ordered and paid via app at our table.
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