Review:
Otto Ristorante is probably not your average everyday restaurant. Most of us might only come here on a pretty special occasion. They are also listed as a one hat in the 2015 Good Food Guide.
You can choose to have a la carte menu or degustation. However, if you want to try its most famous dish, Spaghetti all’Aragosta, you must order a la carte.
Carpaccio di Manzo – $29 – Grainge Angus beef carpaccio, truffle dressing, aioli, capers, parmesan, baby rocket.
We are actually sharing the antipasto as our main is pasta heavy. The beef carpaccio was nice, but there was really nothing exciting about it. Quite a few restaurants in Sydney have a similar dish.
I also ordered an oyster for the main, but it wasn’t on the fresh side.
Risotto – $29 – Aged acquerello rice, assorted mushrooms, gorgonzola foam
My wife ordered the risotto and we ended up swapping the risotto with my spaghetti (reviewed below). The risotto was very nice, but it was very heavy. The gorgonzola cheese was prominent in the dish. The mushrooms managed to partially balance the cheese flavour.
If you want the main dish size, you need to add an extra $10 for it. However, I recommend you to order as is. The main dish portion was massive for a rice dish!
Spaghetti all’Aragosta – $106 – 650g Tasmanian crayfish, spaghetti, brandy, napolitana sauce, cherry tomatoes, baby basil
Spaghetti all’Aragosta is the cream of the crop for Otto Ristorante. It costs twice as much as the next most expensive main dish in the restaurant.
I wasn’t too excited about the napolitana sauce, but the lobster was fabulous. It was cooked perfectly! I have never been a big fan of lobster as I thought it was an over-priced giant prawn. Having to finally taste lobster that was in line with the price tag made me really happy!
Insalata di Rucola – $13 – Rocket, radicchio, apples, walnuts, parmesan and Fir tree honey vinegar dressing
The salad was a perfect addition to the spaghetti and risotto. It gave us the fresh feel to our otherwise heavy dinner!
Spaghetti Con Sugo di Formaggio – $35 – Spaghetti with white cheese sauce
Gelato Vaniglia – Vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce
They have quite a variety of kids menu. On this occasion, my son chose his favourite ‘Spaghetti with white sauce’. He was quickly destroying the spaghetti. I had a chance to taste it as the portion was a bit too big for him. The spaghetti was the same as the much more expensive counterpart above. I also like the simple white cheese sauce. It was heavy and in abundance!
Brulee – $20 – Amaretto brulee, Amarena cherries, candied almonds, meringue, sour cherry sorbet
Looking at the description for the brulee, it was thick with Italian flavour from the amaretto and candied almonds. The Amarena cherries and sour cherry sorbet provided a multi-dimensional approach to the brulee. You can taste sweet, crunchy, sour, bitter, warm and cold all in one bite!
The final verdict for Otto Ristorante
When you see one item is twice as much as the rest of the menu, you expect great things from it. The Spaghetti all’Aragosta from Otto Ristorante had the nicest lobster I have ever tasted.
Did you know?
There are a few one-hat restaurants in the vicinity.
Rating for Otto Ristorante:
7.5 / 10
Taste: 7.5 / 10
Price: $29 – $106 for main course
Place: 8.0 / 10
Details:
Area 8, 6 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo, 2011
+61 2 9368 7488
