Via Alta (Willoughby Sydney)

To welcome 2015, we dined at Via Alta which is another venture of Alexandro Pavoni.

I really enjoyed all the dishes. Our starters of anti-pasti involved the melt-in-your-mouth veal tongue and creamy burrata cheese. My main course was the Bresciano spit roast was so good, there was not a drop of polenta left. The tiramisu dessert was just right for me (I dislike those that are too sweet).

Details:
Via Alta
197 High Street
North Willoughby
http://www.viaalta.com.au/

Jamie's Italian (Sydney)

A friends gathering with overseas visitor led us to Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant in Sydney’s CBD. A 45 minute wait was required even on a Monday night and the restaurant was packed with diners.

The anti-pasti on wood panels was a great choice for starters and the cuts of meat were of excellent quality. My partner’s pork and mushroom ravioli was really tasty. If you are up for something extra rich and heavy, I would recommend my turkey Milanese.

Details:
Jamie’s Italian
107 Pitt Street
Sydney
https://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/australia/sydney

Aqua Dining (Sydney)

Start of the holiday season brought the family to Aqua Dining, which featured a fantastic view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The menu consists of a range of pasta dishes, which we ordered as starters, and an attractive list of fish and meat main courses. My fig and pancetta casarecce pasta has a good balance of sweet and savory. The prawn risotto was also excellent. The perfectly cooked snapper dish with crispy skin was nicely highlighted by the very light sauce.

Details:
Aqua Dining
Corner Paul & Northcliff  Streets 
Milsons Point
NSW 2061
http://www.aquadining.com.au

Cafe Sopra (Sydney)

We had a quick dinner catch up with friends after work at Café Sopra. Despite being a Tuesday night, the dining room was packed with a queue at the door – so be ready for wait unless you go early.

There was a great array of pizza and pasta dishes. The quattro formaggi pizza that we shared was excellent. I really enjoyed the generous meat ball pasta dishes, while the osso buco was not as rich and flavourful as I wished.

Details:
Café Sopra at Fratelli Fresh
11 Bridge Street
Sydney
http://www.fratellifresh.com.au/

Grimaldi’s (Brooklyn New York)

We visited Grimaldi’s as part of a day tour in Brooklyn for lunch over a couple of slices of pizzas. Once entered into the restaurant you see the brick oven and the pizzas being rolled out in front of it.

The simple margherita pizza was excellent with a fantastic crust. The mozzarella cheese and fresh tomato worked so well together. No wonder the place is voted as New York’s #1 pizza!

Details:
Grimaldi’s
Under the Brooklyn Bridge
1 Front Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
http://grimaldisnyc.com

Ormeggio At The Spit (Mosman Sydney)

We took advantage of the ‘Stress Less Sunday’ menu offered by Ormeggio At The Spit for a, well, relaxed dinner on a warm Sunday night. We picked the 4 course menu at the time of the booking.

All 4 dishes were beautifully presented and delicious. Kangaroo tartare had the right level of texture and not too tough. The eggplant tortellini had a subtle smokiness which complement well with the cheese sauce. Wagyu steak was extremely tender and worked well with the sesame puree. And the cardamom ice-cream dessert was a revelation with coffee powder.

If only the portion was bigger…

Details:
Ormeggio At The Spit
D'Albora Marinas
The Spit
Mosman 2088
http://www.ormeggio.com.au/

Pilu at Freshwater (Sydney)

I was treated to a Sunday lunch by my partner at Pilu at Freshwater (thanks babe). The weather was stunning that day and we had a lovely view from the table, accompanied by equally great service.

The food was fantastic throughout starting from the crispy bread with truffle honey ricotta. Speghetti with sea urchin was full of flavours from the sea. The highlight was the roasted suckling pig – soft, succulent meat with perfect crackling. We barely had room for our pistachio frangipane and mandarin tortino pannacotta desserts.

Details:
Pilu at Freshwater
"On the beach”
 Moore Road
Freshwater NSW 2096
http://www.piluatfreshwater.com.au/

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

Spiedo (Sydney)

With most restaurants in the Sydney CBD closed on a Sunday, it was difficult for us to find a table for 4 at dinner time. Fortunately Westfield Sydney was opened and we dined at Spiedo Restaurant on level 6.

The restaurant specialises cuisine from Northern Italy and the dishes were perfect for a cold winter night. My orecchiette gorgonzola was rich and satisfying. The lamb rump main was perfectly cooked and very tender. It was ashamed how quiet the place (and the whole floor of restaurants) was despite the quality of food. The tiramisu was also worth a try.

Details:
Spiedo Restaurant & Bar
Westfield Sydney Level 6
77 Castlereagh Street
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.spiedo.com.au/

Tarry Lodge (Port Chester, NY)

It is always great to catch up with a mate whenever I visit New York. He kindly took me to Tarry Lodge at Port Chester – nice and close to the office at Purchase. Owned by the Iron Chef Italian Mario Batali, the menu had an amazing range of authentic Italian cuisine. My entrée of black fettuccine was generous with prawns and tasty. I also had the daily special of risotto with porcini mushroom and black truffle. The combined smell of the revered ingredients lifted my appetite and resulted in a cleaned plate.

Details:
Tarrt Lodge
18 Mill Street
Port Chester, NY 10573
http://www.tarrylodge.com