Category: Italian

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

Pasticceria Papa

Pasticceria Papa Review:

In Sydney, you can spend $65 for four fragile and sophisticated-looking desserts. Unfortunately, we are not talking about that for this week. Instead, we will be talking about one of the best Italian desserts place in Sydney… and most of their cakes are around $5 or less. How good is that!

For those of you living in Inner West, the name Pasticceria Papa will not sound too foreign for you. Their shop in Haberfield has been around since 1988. They started off as a bread and pastry shop. Now, they have a full-fledged restaurant in addition to the shop.

Mini Ricotta Cake – $4.50

This is what Pasticceria Papa famous for. Mini ricotta is the smallest that you can get… perfect to be devoured by yourself… no sharing!

The ricotta cake is scalable to be as large as you wish. I’ve been to a birthday party where they have a 20-person ricotta cake from Pasticceria Papa.

Vanilla Baba – $3.50

I was quite curious about this dessert… well, partially because it was rum-soaked. Vanilla baba is a yeast cake with vanilla custard on top of it.

Arancini – $4.50 – Chicken / Veal / Mushroom

We came across the arancini completely by accident. We were looking for something savoury at Pasticceria Papa but we were not that interested in the pesto pasta at that time. There was only one mushroom arancini left at that time and we had no expectation whatsoever.

Pizza – $5.50 – Mushroom / potato

It was quite a sorry-looking pizza slice and we weren’t interested in ordering. However, the little one managed to choose that for his dinner and ended up finishing it.

The final verdict for Pasticceria Papa

Getting a decent dessert for less than $5 is pretty unheard of these days. Pasticceria Papa delivers that with a taste of Italian desserts that is unmatched in Sydney!

Did you know?

We visited Pasticceria Papa in Haberfield. They have two other stores in Sydney: Bondi Beach and Five Dock. The Haberfield and Bondi Beach stores are also setup as a proper Italian restaurant. But maybe that’s for next time.

Rating for Pasticceria Papa:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: $3.50 – $5.50 per slice

Place: 8.0 / 10

Details:

145 Ramsay Street, Haberfield Sydney NSW 2045

+61 2 9799 9531

http://ppapa.com.au/

Aug 26, 2016
Intermezzo Ristorante

Review:

This week we went to a restaurant in quite a premium venue, GPO Grand at Martin Place. The name of the restaurant is Intermezzo Ristorante. Their menu is predominantly Italian with French influence. It has all the cues of a fine dining restaurant. However, they are not a hatted restaurant and also not listed in Top 500 restaurants in Australia. The good thing about it is that you don’t put any expectations on the restaurant and anything good coming out of it is a bonus!

Sicilian Green Olives, Diced Marinated Roma Tomato with Fresh Herbs, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sourdough – $9.50

It is quite a simple antipasto for little nibbles… and you might need to order a bit more sourdough.

Carpaccio di Bresaola – $21 – Cured Wagyu Beef, Marble Score 9+, thinly sliced with Rocket, Reggiano and Housemade Grissini

It was a pretty well made beef carpaccio and I quite enjoyed it.

Linguine Scampi – $36 – Linguine with Western Australian Scampi, Fresh Vine Ripened Cherry Tomatoes and Chilli

We chose to have the Linguine for starter because originally my wife thought she could share it with the little one. However, to our surprise, the chilli was actually quite spicy here.

Calamari Fritti alla Napoletana – $21 – Crispy Hawkesbury River Calamari Rings with Lemon and Chilli Oil

We had to order this as a backup plan to the kid. We asked for a tomato sauce to accompany the calamari rings and they actually gave us a proper tomato pasta sauce.

Bistecca Alla Fiorentina – $41 – Dry Aged Grain Fed T-Bone (400g) served with Roasted Potatoes and a Rocket and Parmigiano salad

I liked my steak medium rare. I think the t-bone was just a tad overcooked. The rocket salad was also quite sour.

Pesce al Cartoccio – $36 – Ocean Trout Fillet with Truss Tomato, Wild Mushrooms, White Wine and Herbs, served Steamed in Baking Paper

The other main was wrapped in baking paper and was quite small. Also, I could not taste any flavours from the trout.

Wild Rocket, Pear and Parmigiano Reggiano – $11.50

Just like the steak’s sald, the vinaigrette was quite over powering that made the rocket too sour to my liking.

Tiramisu – $15.50 – ‘Pick me up Dessert’ of Mascarpone Layered with Biscotti, Espresso Coffee and served with a Coffee Sorbet

Finally, a dish worth talking about. I always enjoy a good tiramisu. The deconstructed tiramisu was pretty special. It is not your traditional tiramisu and the coffee sorbet really lifted up the mood!

Pannacotta al Caramello – $15.50 – Caramel Pannacotta served with Pistachio Brittle, Honeycomb and Buttermilk Gelato

It is quite a unique take on pannacotta. Instead of the usual shape, this one was almost spherical. It looked quite lively but the pannacotta did not look like the centerpiece of the dish.

The final verdict for Intermezzo Ristorante

Dessert was the only saving grace for Intermezzo Ristorante. Their tiramisu was delightfully refreshing. In contrast, all I could remember from the main and entrée were the high price tag they put on them.

Did you know?

If you book online, apparently you can get a complimentary coffee. They also have different ‘menu of the day’ and the image below was from dessert of the day.

Rating for Intermezzo Ristorante:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 6.5 / 10

Price: $35 – $41 main dish

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

GPO Grand, 1 Martin Place, Sydney 2000

+61 2 9229 7788

http://www.gpogrand.com/intermezzo-italian-restaurant-sydney-cbd

May 25, 2016
Jamie’s Italian Canberra

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Unfortunately, Jamie’s Italian Canberra has closed its doors in 2018.

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Review:

We went to Jamie’s Italian in Sydney CBD just under 3 months ago and were pretty impressed with the quality of the dishes there. So, when we spotted Jamie’s Italian whilst in Canberra, we were eager to return.

The restaurant is located right at the heart of Canberra – Canberra Civic Centre to be exact. That’s pretty much the place where everyone goes out on a weekend. We went there for lunch so there was practically no queue at that time.

Italian Bread Selection – $1.50 – Homemade rosemary focaccia, sourdough, crispy music bread, ciabatta & tortano, all from our favourite artisan bakery. Served with extra virgin olive oil & aged balsamic.

I am not sure why they are even bothered to charge $1.50 for this.

Chicken Lollipops – $9.50 – Three free-range organic chicken fillets, chargrilled & served with a lemony yoghurt, crunchy mixed seeds & baked crinkle-cut wedges

Jamie is a well-known ambassador for great-tasting healthy food for kids – he even had a tv show for it! It is not surprising that the kids menu in his restaurant is full of fun stuff!

The menu can be seen in a stereoscope (or view-master) and the dishes had fun elements like the salad shaker that had the ‘shake me’ sign!

Porcini Fettuccine – $14.50 – Wild mushrooms, mascarpone, garlic, white wine, lemony gremolata, Parmesan & herby breadcrumbs

The fettuccine that we ordered was an entrée-sized pasta. The one thing that got me hooked was that crunchy crumbs. It added an extra dimension to an otherwise simple pasta.

Grilled Angus Rump Steak – $26.50 – Aussie Black Angus rump with garlic butter, rosemary skinny fries & rainbow slaw

I wanted to order the steak but I knew it was too small for me. So, I had to ‘steal’ from one of my guests and swap it for my dish!

The steak was cooked nicely but the rainbow slaw reminded me of shredded paper decoration for parties.

Wild Ruffle Risotto – $25.00 – Finely minced black winter truffle with butter & Parmesan – a real treat

The dish that I ordered for the lunch. With the big hype of truffle over the last couple of months, I just couldn’t help but try this dish. The dish looks like a classic Italian Risotto.

The final verdict for Jamie’s Italian Canberra

Jamie’s Italian Canberra is cheaper than its brother in Sydney. However, I had the feeling that the dishes were a tad less spectacular than the Sydney one.

Rating for Jamie’s Italian Canberra:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: $15 – $35 for main and pasta

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

125 Bunda St, Canberra ACT 2601

02 6268 0400

Jamie’s Italian Canberra website

Sep 30, 2015
Jamie’s Italian Sydney

Review:

Jamie’s Italian restaurant is probably one of the most reviewed restaurants in Sydney. It has been almost four years since they opened their doors in Sydney (2011), but we just got the chance to visit it last weekend. As we arrived at Jamie’s Italian Sydney quite early (around 5.30pm), we got the table straight away.

When you walked into the restaurant, you were welcomed by a wall filled with different pasta (and Jamie’s books of course!). From this ‘hint’, we know that we should order some pasta.

Italian Bread Selection – $2.25 – Homemade rosemary focaccia, Italian grissini, crispy music bread & ciabatta from our bakery. All served with Rylstone extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic.

I was going to say that this dish might probably be the best-valued item in the menu, however when I read old reviews they used to give this for free. Since quite a lot of items on the menu is carbs-heavy, you might want to think about adding some more into your system.

Crispy Squid – $12.90 – Fried squid, garlicky mayo & lemon

Despite its tiny portion, everything else was perfect for this dish. The squid was crispy on the outside and easily chewable on the inside. The mayo was also incredibly smooth and really punchy.

Potato and Truffle Tortellini – $24.95 – Delicate pasta parcels stuffed with ricotta & potato, tossed with butter, truffle & parmesan

This is the best dish of the day for me. I love the sauce… better yet, I can still imagine how good it tasted! The dish was both filling and yummy!

Prawn Linguine – $16.25 – Juicy pan-fried garlicy prawns served with tomatoes, chilli, rocket & fennel

The little guy ordered this dish (entrée size). The waiter actually warned us that there were chilli inside the dish. At first, he was reluctant to eat it, but we explained that the chilli here was nowhere near as spicy.

Fish in a bag – $29.50 – Baked sustainable fish, clams, mussels, chilli with Sicilian cracked wheat & pine nuts topped with our fiery arrabiatta sauce

Now, this dish’s fiery taste was real (although still not as spicy as some dishes I’ve tried in my life). They actually served it still wrapped in aluminium foil and baking paper. However, the fish was cooked perfectly!

Ice Creams – $9.00 – Three delicious scoops of Serendipity ice cream (vanilla and salted pistachio) served with smashed honeycomb and seasonal fruits.

Despite not having their own ice cream, they managed to combine this delicious ice cream with smashed honeycomb and fruit compote perfectly!

The final verdict for Jamie’s Italian Sydney

It was definitely a nice experience dining at Jamie’s Italian Sydney restaurant. Despite its busy environment, the people are still very friendly and the food was very nice!

Did you know?

Jamie’s Italian got its name from Jamie Oliver (that famous chef from the UK, but not the pissy one) but you might never see him at ‘his’ (practically owned by a different entity) restaurant in Sydney.

I am actually not a big fan of al dente pasta and prefer one that has been cooked thoroughly.

Rating for Jamie’s Italian Sydney:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $20 – $48 for main dishes

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

107 Pitt Street, Sydney 2000

+61 2 8240 9000

Jamie’s Italian Sydney

Jul 7, 2015
Otto Ristorante

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

http://ottoristorante.com.au/

Apr 30, 2015
Aperitivo

Review:

A few weeks ago, there was a discussion amongst Sydney Food Bloggers about the best pizza restaurant (pizzeria) in Sydney. Some of them mentioned Aperitivo. Aperitivo is a member of AVPN, an organisation that guarantees true Neapolitan pizza. My curiosity surfaced and thought I had to go to the restaurant!

Upon reaching Leichhardt, I realised I went past this restaurant several times on the way to the infamous Bar Italia. My impression was that the restaurant was always buzzing. However, it resembled a bar more than a pizzeria!

As a big fan of nice pate, we ordered the Pate di fegato di pollo e giardiniera. The chicken liver pate was presented with pickled vegetables on a wooden board. The texture was more on the coarse and heavy side.

Pate di fegato di pollo e giardiniera (Chicken Liver pate), $10

Quite a lot of options for the pizza, so you might want to take your time in finding the perfect combination that suit your needs. The interesting thing on this menu is that they have two Margherita pizza. One is the normal Margherita and the other one is Margherita Bufala STG. So, what made it so special and warranted an increase of $7? The footnote gave a little bit of explanation about STG. In 1996, Margherita was recognised as a Specialità Tradizionale Garantita. Technically, you are guaranteed that the pizza you enjoyed is of traditional quality. You also got buffalo mozzarella instead of the normal cow’s milk mozzarella.

Margherita Bufala STG, $24

The other pizza we ordered was Pizza Lampara. This one is the less-traditional seafood pizza. The toppings included sauté calamari and prawns with rocket. I found that this one was tastier than the Margherita one.

Pizza Lampara, $24

We ordered Aperitivo Tiramisu for the dessert. The tiramisu had quite a convincing description: Soft sponge, mascarpone semifreddo, salted caramel, strawberry compote and chocolate crumble. Despite its nice appearance, it fell short in the taste department.

Aperitivo Tiramisu, $12

The final verdict for Aperitivo

There is no mistaking that Aperitivo’s pizza had the nice quality. However it is not enough to dethrone my personal favourite.

Did you know?

There are four members of the prestigious Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (The True Neapolitan Pizza Association) in Sydney. They are Lucio Pizzeria, Gigi Pizzeria, Pizza Mario and Aperitivo. Its main goal is to promote and protect the “true Neapolitan pizza” according to a very strict standard.

As mentioned above, we love going to Bar Italia for its Mascarpone (pictured below).

Rating for Aperitivo:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $14 – $24 per pizza

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

163 Norton St, Leichhardt NSW 2040

+61 2 9564 0003

http://aperitivo.com.au/

Nov 6, 2014