Ventuno (Sydney)

It was the boss’ shout at a work dinner with overseas guests and he took us to Ventuno Pizzeria Birreria Enoteca at Walsh Bay. The dining room may be a bit too dark for business.

We ordered plenty of anti-pasti to start with and I particularly enjoyed the mozzarella with tomato. For main course I had the fazzoletti pasta (or the ‘handkerchief’ – think extra-large size ravioli) with a sausage and pumpkin filling and burnt butter sauce. The sweetness of the pumpkin worked very well with the sausage. Despite the generous serving I polished the 3 handkerchiefs in no time.

Details:
Ventuno Pizzeria Birreria Enoteca
21 Hickson Road
Walsh Bay NSW 2000
http://www.ventuno.com.au

Uccello (Sydney)

Winding down from a tough week, we finally found the appetite (and time) for a relaxing meal at Uccello on the top of the Ivy complex in Sydney.

Our Italian feast kicked off with a platter of cured meats from different regions of Italy, followed by squid ink tagliolini pasta. We then share the roasted whole leg of goat with potatoes and peas. While the goat meat was slightly tough, the potatoes absorbed the roast juices totally blew us away. Our desserts of lemon meringue tart and spiced cake with poached pear wrapped up the meal beautifully.

Details:
Uccello
Ivy, Level 4
330 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
http://merivale.com.au/uccello/