Stumbled upon Covo by chance after finding La Braceria closed at lunch today. Set lunch at $19.95+, with 3 courses + coffee/ tea/ iced tea, why not have a go? Especially when they offer you a private restaurant at 1pm! Good choice, it turns out.

Set lunch comes with:
-Choice of hot or cold soup
-Choice of 2 mains
-Dessert (chef will decide)
-Coffee, tea or iced tea

Easy choices then! Out came 1 hot soup (cream of zucchini + corn), 1 cold soup (mango with orange slices), chicken sakura, spaghetti with meatballs and cream sauce, and a combination of chocolate banana tart and some soft apple pie.

I normally avoid cold soups but I say today's was a good choice. The flavour of the mango in the soup + orange slices tasted good - kind of like dessert instead of starter - totally changing my opinion of cold soups. This came with 7 clams on a side cup, thumbs up!

The chicken sakura was touted as grain-fed and with a better texture. I can't say I know how to appreciate chicken, but indeed it was a better cut than the usual. The thigh portion was very good. The spaghetti came in a large portion with quite a few meatballs and mushroom. This was fine, though I felt the spaghetti needed a little more cooking.

The wait staff hawked me some specialty Australian oysters - they have 4 varieties - so I tried 2 of their specials (normal price $5 each, special offer $2). These were decent, and for $2 a decent deal. They also have the $1 an oyster special for the basic grade ones.

I spied a roast barramundi on the main menu for $36+. All prices are only subject to 10% service charge. Set lunch was great value but the cost escalates a fair bit otherwise. Wait staff were good and attentive. Strangely, the chef was dressed in white overalls and boots instead of the typical chef uniform.

Decor is the bare style, with concrete screed walls and floors. There is a tiny outdoor sitting area for 1 table in the middle of the restaurant, plus a private area near the back that seats about 8, and some sitting areas at the outside corridor.

Overall a decent experience and satisfactory find.