Category: Italian

Pizza and Pasta, Mario and Luigi, AC and Inter Milan

FCBA x Butcher and The Farmer Meadowbank

We came to the Butcher and The Farmer Meadowbank to celebrate the fourth birthday of FCBA community. It also coincided with the 2-month anniversary of the restaurant!

Butcher and The Farmer Meadowbank

Butcher and The Farmer Meadowbank has a pretty different concept than the one in Tramshed. Instead of the upmarket style, this one is geared more towards the casual dining with predominantly Italian influence.

Antipasto

The first course that they presented at this event was antipasto.

They had the antipasto platter and a few dipping sauces. Bread and olives were always the staples in any Italian restaurant.

Pizza

At the event, Chef Fabio presented his winning pizza from an event where he came up as a runner up. While the pizza itself hasn’t made it to the menu, he made it for us on this occasion.

They also presented a few of the mainstays in the restaurant, including the quickly-devoured prosciutto with glazed pineapple pizza.

Pasta

The second act in Italian dining is always pasta… yes, right after pizza!

They had three different pasta on display, including the zucchini fettuccini and lamb ragu.

Chicken

They were saving the best for last. It was one of the best rotisserie chicken I have ever had.

The chicken was very juicy and the marinade worked really well with the garlic sauce.

Desserts

Sponsor at the FCBA x Butcher and The Farmer Meadowbank Event

This event was made more awesome by our following sponsors:

Butcher and The Farmer

Million Wines

Prost Beer

Spirits Platform

Milk Flower

Everdure

Cakes by Emily

MWave

Dr Krunch

Butcher and The Farmer

Details:

10 Rothesay Avenue, Meadowbank 2112

+61 2 8629 8828

https://butcherandthefarmer.com/au/

Oct 4, 2019
Fratelli Fresh Entertainment Quarter

Fratelli Fresh Review:

Fratelli Fresh is part of the restaurant empire with Rockpool and Bavarian Bier Cafe amongst its ranks. We have heard great things about it.

We went to Entertainment Quarter to see the movie at the cinema there. Since there was one Fratelli Fresh, we couldn’t wait to try it out.

Penne – Lamb Ragu – Rosemary – $26

We quite enjoyed the lamb ragu. There was heaps of meat and penne pasta on the plate.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara – Pancetta – Guanciale – Parmesan – Yolk – $23

The spaghetti carbonara looked like the unhappy brother of lamb ragu. It was pretty dry and quite sub-standard.

Chicken Parmigiana – Fresh Basil – Sugo – Fior Di Latte – Parmesan – Fratelli Slaw – $29

My chicken parmigiana was way too saucy. The sugo sauce overpowered everything else and the chicken was a tad overcooked.

As you can see from the picture below, the dish doesn’t have any chips on it. You will have to pay an extra $9.5 for chips and aioli or $11 for twice-cooked potatoes.

Fennel Sausage – Red Sauce – Shaved Garlic – Chilli Flakes – Red Onions – Salumi Australia Italian Sausage – Parmesan Cheese – EVOO – $23

Our pizza wasn’t actually too bad. However, they were not generous with the sauce and toppings. It looked very bready. If only the treatment was switched with Chicken parma, we would have been much happier.

Chicken Scallopini Strips with Fries – Aioli – Lemon – $12

I think I might enjoy my son’s chicken strips more than my own dish. It had the whole thing: chicken, chips, and sauce.

Fat Johnny – Apple Cider – $12

The beer and cider might look expensive (in excess of $10). However, it does come in the 500ml glass.

The final verdict for Fratelli Fresh

Fratelli Fresh has a price point of high-end Italian restaurants in Sydney. However, the dishes in Fratelli Fresh Entertainment Quarter did not justify this.

Do you think I should go?
Fratelli Fresh restaurants seem to have quite a good rating in Zomato, except for the one in Entertainment Quarter. I haven’t been to the other ones, but from what we experienced in Entertainment Quarter, they do need to lift up their game considerably.

Rating for Fratelli Fresh:

6.0 / 10

Taste: 6.0 / 10

Price: $20 – $33 main dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

211 Bent Street, Entertainment Quarter, Sydney

+61 2 8099 7069

http://www.fratellifresh.com.au

Mar 16, 2018
House Bar and Bistrot
House Bar and Bistrot Experience:

One morning, an invitation email came into my mailbox. It was a long and elaborate email from Mauro, the head chef of House Bar and Bistrot. Mauro was a chef in a number of high-end restaurants in Sydney before he decided to open his own. The suburb that he chose to be the place for his restaurant is Potts Point. The restaurant looked like two regular houses from the outside.

According to Mauro, everything on the menu was made in-house with local fresh ingredients. The menu is constantly changing, according to the seasonal availability. He has the non-vegetarian menu as well as the vegetarian menu. This was the non-vegetarian menu that he had when we visited.

Starters on Sourdough Bread

House Bar and Bistrot only has one kind of starter: starters on sourdough bread. The difference was the topping. You can choose five different toppings on that day. The starters are kind of like Italian bruschetta with different toppings.

White Anchovies – $12 – Butter – Lemon Zest

Krauti and Shredded Apple – $12

Sides

If sourdough would never get you full, like myself, then you might want to think about what sides to have.

Although we ordered only Cabbage Almonds sides on that day, you must order their potatoes an onion… see the main section for the reason!

Cabbage, Almonds and Parmesan Salad – $18

Mains

Tagliatelle – Braised Pork Belly – Duck egg – Parmesan – $26

There are quite a few different mains on that day, but this one was one of our choices because it had duck egg on a tagliatelle!

Sirloin Beef Steak – Roast Potatoes, Onions, Red wine gravy – $28

However, the second main really stole the show. We could not stop thinking about that roast potatoes… OMG they were so good! The steak was also cooked to perfection but probably on the lighter side of the gravy.

Desserts

There were three dessert options from both menu, but we felt on that day the coffee gelato was the clear winner. It was smooth and strong at the same time!

Coffee Gelato – $12

Figs Gelato – $12

Menabrea beer on draft – $9

One of the main selling points when Mauro wrote me that invitation email was that he had Italy’s Menabrea beer on tap.

A few interesting things about House Bar and Bistrot
- Sourdough and pasta freshly-made on a daily basis.
- Menus are constantly evolving, according to seasonal availability
- You must really get the roast potatoes.. yum!
Details:

62 – 64 Kellett Street, Potts Point 2011

+61 450 633 892

https://www.housebarbistrot.com
Feb 14, 2018
Righetto Osteria Romana

Righetto Osteria Romana Review:

We have been going to Haberfield a lot in recent months exploring culinary options they have to offer. This week, it’s from one of the Italian restaurants (there seemed to be a million of them in Haberfield!), called Righetto Osteria Romana.

We went there because our friends from Three Arrows Coffee recommended this restaurant. It seems like their special menu on the wall is actually longer than their actual menu.

Complimentary Bread and Antipasto

They gave out complimentary warm bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a starter. In addition to that, the waiter actually gave us a small plate of complimentary antipasto. Their antipasto was actually very good!

Zucchini Flower

We ordered the zucchini flowers before they gave us the complimentary antipasto. They were a bit more expensive than the other antipasto. However, they tasted so good!

Linguine allo scoglio – $27 – Long size pasta with calamari, prawns, clams, blue crab in white or red sauce

If you look at the picture below, that phone was a Galaxy S6. It was barely half the size of the plate! For $27, the linguine was an absolute bargain! I’ll just let these pictures do the talking for me. If you like seafood, this is a must order!

Napoletana – $18 – Tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, olives and capers

Their pizza ranked probably just below the top pizzeria in Sydney. We still enjoyed it tho.

Ice cream

Ice cream + strawberry… it’s a no-brainer for the kid.

Affogato

I love how they served the affogato. It was appetising!

We were very impressed with the service and food at Righetto Osteria Romana in Haberfield Also one of the most elaborate affogato ever! ☕☕ #affogato #foodblogger #gelato #righetto #sydney #italian #pizzeria . . . . . #sweet #instalove #instafood #yummy #healthy #dessert #instapic #instagram #foodporn #instagood #foodie #igers #instadaily #picoftheday #photooftheday #food #love #allaboutfood

A post shared by All About Food Blog (@aaf_blog) on Sep 19, 2017 at 8:43pm PDT

The final verdict for Righetto Osteria Romana

What we like the most from Righetto Osteria Romana was their hospitality. We enjoyed every minute of us eating there. Their ginormous plate of seafood pasta was just the icing on the cake.

Do you think I should go?

Definitely! Especially if you like seafood pasta.

Rating for Righetto Osteria Romana:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $70 for two

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

103 Ramsay St, Haberfield 2045

+61 2 9799 5500

http://www.darighettoosteria.com.au/

Nov 20, 2017
Appetito Pizza Pasta Bar

Appetito Pizza Pasta Bar Review:

We were walking down Circular Quay when one of our close friends saw us. He is responsible for overseeing a dramatic change in Appetito, a restaurant in an iconic building at The Rocks. They revamped their menu and hired a new chef, Luigi – not to be confused with that fictional plumber. I had the pleasure of trying it out for the first time (although I still need to fully pay for it ^_^).

As the name suggested, their menu is predominantly pasta and pizza. They also have a few main courses and weekly specials.

Pane All’Aglio – $8 – Garlic butter sourdough bread baked in house daily

You might want to skip this if you are eating the pizza as it’s the same in-house-made dough. If you don’t, then I would suggest you to order it. It is one of the better garlic bread I have ever tasted. It was crunchy and fluffy at the same time!

Risotto Pescatora – $34 – Calamari, prawns, mussels, clams, in a light tomato sauce

They cooked their risotto al dente, as any proper Italian restaurant would. They also gave a generous serving of seafood on the plate.

Scaloppine Ai Funghi – $34 – With a selection of truffle and field mushrooms & smashed potatoes

Thinly-sliced veal with mushroom sauce is probably one of the more common dishes in Italian restaurants or pubs in Australia. At first glance, this dish looked just like another one of those. Things got astronomically exciting when you actually tasted the sauce. The depth of flavour was amazing!

Asparagus Gratin – $13 – Lightly browned with melted cheese

When I saw the ‘melted cheese’ description, I was imagining something like potatoes sprinkled with raclette. I don’t think the cheese was melted at all on this occasion.

Spaghetti Bolognese – $15 – Kids menu

One of the simplest way to judge a kids menu for us is whether or not the little one want to share it with us. All I can say is he would not even let us touch it!

Cocktail of the Week – The Pink Lychee – $17.00 – Vodka, Lychee Liquor, Cranberry Juice, Lemon Juice & Sugar

I. Absolutely. Love. It.

There is really nothing more to say about this drink.

The final verdict for Appetito Pizza Pasta Bar

The revamped menu from the new chef at Appetito hit the spot for us. I really love the scaloppine. I would definitely come back for it. Also, I would want to try their pizza and compare them with the more established pizza joints in Sydney.

Did you know?

Appetito have a bar above the restaurant (or on the street level to George Street). They also have a few stylised function rooms.

Rating for Appetito Pizza Pasta Bar:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: $150 for two plus one

Place: 8.0 / 10

Details:

100 George Street, The Rocks 2000

+61 2 9247 1920

http://new.appetito.com.au/coming-soon/

Aug 31, 2017
La Bufala Pizzeria

La Bufala Review:

We are trying out a new pizzeria in Mascot’s new shopping precinct, La Bufala. How do they compare with the more established wood-fired pizzerias in Sydney?

Considering that they were pretty new, I was surprised that the menu already looked so old and quite unappealing. However, we soldiered on and ordered what we usually loves best from a pizzeria.

Polenta Fritta – $15 – Polenta chips with blue cheese dipping sauce

I love polenta chips. The all-powerful blue cheese dip was the perfect company for the chips.

Bufala – $23 – San Marzano tomato, fresh buffalo mozzarella & cherry tomatoes

Bufala pizza is part of the pizze rosse (red pizza) menu. I can’t really taste the texture of their Buffalo mozzarella. Also, it looked like they were added in along with the cherry tomatoes after the pizza was cooked.

Tartufo – $24 – Fior di latte cheese, porcini mushroom, prosciutto & truffle

Tartufo pizza is part of their pizze bianche (white pizza) menu. We had to take out the prosciutto because some of the guests did not eat ham. Even without prosciutto, I still enjoyed this pizza more than the other one.

Gnocchi La Bufala – $24 – Gnocchi, napoletana sauce and buffalo mozzarella

The menu was supposed to be Gnocchi La Bufala, but we asked them to switch the gnocchi with Tagliatelle. The kids usually prefer the long pasta than the dumpling-shaped ones.

Nutella crepes – $16 – with mascarpone & fresh strawberries.

I am not a big fan of the crepe. There was only a hint of mascarpone and not enough Nutella. Also instead of Pistachio, I think it would be MUCH better if they give a scoop of ice cream instead.

The final verdict for La Bufala

La Bufala is quite a decent pizzeria if you are around Mascot area. However, they still have quite a big catching up to do if they want to compete with the rest.

Did you know?

If you are having a meeting around this area, I would suggest you to take the train to Mascot station. The traffic can be unforgiving.

Rating for La Bufala:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $17 – $25 for pizza

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

Shop 17, Mascot Central

19 – 33 Kent Road, Mascot NSW 2020

+61 2 8319 4090

http://www.labufala.com.au/

Feb 14, 2017