Archive for the ‘Italian’ Category
V Rating: VVV On a recent Friday night, Andy, our visiting friend, Adam, and I were driving aimlessly between my work and the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney as I tried to think of a new Italian restaurant to try. Sensing that we were literally on the road to nowhere, Andy announced that he was taking us to one of his old haunts: Isabella’s in Randwick.
Isabella’s is a friendly, warm, characterful restaurant. It has the offbeat charm of a local, student-friendly restaurant (if not the prices). The walls are brightly painted, with large mirrors and low-hanging lights. Although the restaurant is in a single room, the area is broken up by sidings and high arrangements of flowers, so you feel like you’re eating in more intimate surrounds. There are even a few tables on the sidewalk outside, overlooking Alison Road and a park. Isabella’s offers six vegetarian starters and six vegetarian pasta dishes. I was impressed that the vegetarian dishes weren’t the standard ‘napolitana’ and ‘mushroom risotto’ options, and looked like some thought had gone into making them. Adam tried the verdura, a vegetable pasta with feta served in either a creamy tomato or basil sauce.
I had the creamy sundried tomato pesto sauce.
Andy tried the arrabiata, a tomato sauce with roasted eggplant and capsicum, chili and garlic. Unlike most of the Isabella dishes, this came without cheese or cream, so seemed suitable for vegans.
Our dishes were large and filling, if not exciting. I love broccoli so was very happy to find a pasta where it was the feature ingredient. I’m not a fan of cream sauces, but mine was light and moderated by the tomato base. I can’t review the seafood side of Isabella’s as none of our party eat creatures of the deep. However, it did occur to me that Isabella’s might be a good choice of venue for seafood-loving families stuck with a rogue vegetarian, given the menu caters well for both. Another bonus feature is that Isabella’s is BYO, and is right next door to a bottle shop with a great range of wines from Australia and overseas. I was really taken with Isabella’s friendly ambiance and left of centre charm. It felt like the kind of place you turn gratefully to on a weeknight or lazy Sunday evening, when you want a pleasant, homely, no strings attached experience.
V Rating: VVV North Bondi Italian Food had been tempting me for weeks. First Reb piqued my curiosity when she tipped me off that it was a good place for vegetarian food. Then I wandered past a couple of times on evening strolls and was struck by the restaurant’s romantic view of Bondi Beach, all waves lapping gently on the shoreline reflecting lights along the coast. So, when some close girlfriends and I wanted to celebrate one of our number’s impending wedding, North Bondi beckoned.
North Bondi offers a traditional Italian food and wine experience in a modern, romantic setting. The menu is divided into sections, such as cheese, vegetables, salads, pastas, seafood and meat.
There are two pasta mains for vegetarians to choose from, plus a number of vegetable and salad dishes. I had the orecchiette, cherry tomatoes, ricotta and basil. It was a little creamier and richer than I had expected, but the tomatoes offset the ricotta with their strong, pert taste. The authentic Italian touches and mature, European decor combined to make for a relaxed, special evening. And so a couple of happy hours, and two bottles of Italian white later, we left North Bondi.
V Rating: VV A couple of Friday’s ago Andy and I had dinner at Arthur’s Pizza on our way to seeing The Sleepy Jackson at the nearby Paddington Town Hall. We had high hopes for the night, but unfortunately each experience left me disappointed. Arthur’s is a local institution that certainly packs a crowd. The decor is unassuming and everything looks like it’s been around the block a few times. The open pizza kitchen runs along the left wall. Basic tables line the right wall, and fill the back quarter of the restaurant. I don’t mean this as a criticism - I like my pizza joints to have a homely, friendly feel. Arthur’s offers some vegetarian choices. Six of the 21 pizzas were vegetarian and there were two vegetarian pasta options. Andy and I went with half a roasted vegetables, cherry tomatoes and goat’s curd pizza and half four mushrooms and cheese pizza. I found the quality a little disappointing. The topping was only lightly (as opposed to judiciously) scattered and the base was very thin and dry. The toppings sounded exciting on the menu, but when the pizzas arrived the ingredients and combinations seemed run of the mill. It wasn’t that the food was bad - it wasn’t - more that I was expecting interesting and authentic Italian pizza along the lines of Made in Italy in Pyrmont or Pompei’s in Bondi, and Arthur’s is not that kind of restaurant. After dinner we ambled across the road to catch The Sleepy Jackson. We had a lot of fun watching the infectiously cheerful warm-up act, Old Man River, but the Sleepy Jackson were disappointing. There was no structure to the set - one minute it was 80s stadium rock, the next minute country and western, then lush, bell-infused melodies and Carpenter-like ballads. They seemed pumped initially but fell apart when the crowd didn’t engage. It wasn’t that the crowd was unfriendly - we wanted them to succeed - but with the mood changing so often and a lot of unfamiliar songs it was hard to get excited. The band came back for encore - while basically acknowledging that they didn’t deserve one - but instead of choosing a song that they could be sure of pulling off, lead singer Luke Steele went with a high-pictched falsetto vocal that came apart at the seams. It was a heart-wrenchingly embarrassing final song, and I was glad for the band when they finished. It didn’t help that most of the crowd (and the band) had been up the night before watching Australia QUALIFY or the second round of the World Cup.
V Rating: VVV La Sala is a collaboration between Restaurant Manager Andrea Mellas (Otto Ristorante, Icebergs Dining Room & Bar) and TV fame chef Darren Simpson (Le Gavroche, River Café, Aqua Luna). The restaurant has a swanky bar area at street level, with low tables and long banquette seats. Here you can sip upon some expert cocktails, a mélange of both traditional and inventive. Down the dark carpeted stairs is the open dining room, which is probably my favourite dining room in all of Sydney. The room is low lit but has a warm glow from the frosted glass candle holders and the delicate wrought iron chandeliers that radiate out from their centres like spidery petals. The use of dark wood and chocolaty coloured upholstery exudes elegance and the long glass window into the kitchen certainly provides entertainment, especially when you catch a glimpse of the chef doing his thing. I found the room to be very elegant, very modern and yet still extremely warm and inviting. But let’s get to the vegetarian food! Let me state first that I am not a vegetarian. So what makes me think I am qualified to write this is that my fiancé, Jonas, has been a vegetarian for the past eleven years: no meat, no fish (I feel the need to emphasise this considering a lot of people who call themselves vegetarians still eat fish). This restaurant has a separate menu for vegetarians, which includes around eight options and is even listed separately on their website. These can be purchased either as entrees or mains, which means significant variety for the veggie lover. The night we were there, the special was also a vegetarian dish – joy! For the pescatarians or seafood eaters, there were a lot of options available and I’ll mention those too in case the semi-vegetarians would like to know. For appetisers I had two Port Stephen rock oysters ($3.50 each), which were simply divine – creamy, a light taste of the sea. We also snacked on a bowl of rosemary and garlic marinated olives ($7). For entrée, Jonas chose the vedure mista ($16) and received a variety of vegetables, each cooked a different way. Green beans, tossed in olive oil, were topped with a salsa of kalamata olives and pine nuts; long, thin slices of zucchini and eggplant were gently chargrilled; white beans were stewed with tomatoes and topped with fresh oregano; mushrooms had been fried deliciously. What Jonas appreciated most was that every vegetable was enhanced differently and yet the natural flavour of each vegetable was present. They recommended he drink a glass of the 2004 Campagnola Soave Classico ‘Le Bine’, also from Veneto ($11). I had the carpaccio cipriani ($18) and even though you won’t care because it isn’t vegetarian, it was the best I have ever eaten in Australia, or even Italy. For main I had seafood dishes (two entrées instead of a main): first was the caldo vedure ($15), which on this day was an organic kale and cod soup. It was delicious and seemingly pescatarian friendly, but I suspected the broth was not seafood based and found out upon enquiry that it was chicken. V-ware on that one friends! My second dish was the whitebait and potato pancake ($22), which arrived at the table like a plump, golden blini, flecked with chives, and topped with a quenelle of crème fraîche and vibrantly orange Yarra Valley salmon roe. The pancake was firm and gold on the outside with a soft, creamy interior. The crème fraîche added sour lactic oomph and the robust pearls of roe provided bursts of sweet saltiness. Although very decorative, potentially they could have served less caviar. The glorious vegetarian main was trule unique: tagliatelle ortiche e gorgonzola ($30). It was the only special of the night and came in entrée and main sizes. This dish used stinging nettles, cooked until they formed a vibrant green sauce. The nettles were then smothered over the tagliatelle, their earthy, verdant flavour contrasting subtly with the light gorgonzola dolce sauce. Topped with a sprinkling of parmigiano this was a subtle yet extremely invigorating dish using rare ingredients. He drank the 2004 Jeremiah One Pinot Noir from Lenswood, South Australia ($9) with the meal, but this is because Jonas loves pinot noir and not because it was a recommended match. He said it worked nonetheless. For dessert, I pounced upon the mela cotogna ($15), or honey roasted quince. Served with a vanilla ice cream was bright yellow quince flesh, perfectly textured with a soft resistance and smothered in a rich honey glaze. I was really pleased with this choice. Jonas was very impressed by the service (he’s a waiter, so that should mean something) and although I am still in two minds, I have to admit my unease is potentially unfounded. The staff were conscious of customer needs and quite attentive, but unfortunately I felt tables of older patrons received that little bit extra. To be fair to the waiters, experience tells them that this is where their big tips will come from, so I can’t really fault them for leaning towards older customers. On the other hand I had to watch the waiter seemingly fawn over the tables next to and behind us. We were treated very well, but I felt they got it better. Jealousy? I honestly can’t say. Nonetheless, we were seated quickly and introduced to the only special for the evening, then walked through the menu. We were given time to make a decision and then he returned for any last minute questions before taking our order. My queries over wines to match my meal was answered, although not confidently, which concerned me a little. The wait staff visited unobtrusively throughout the evening, checking on water, wine and whether everything was to our satisfaction. Courses were delivered with perfect timing in between and overall the waiters were friendly, knowledgeable and professional. I have only two comments for improvement: first, the tables for two were much too small to fit all our wine glasses, water glasses, olive bowl, oyster plate, breads and olive oils, courses etc etc. Secondly, the room is so dim that it was only through taking photos that I saw how gorgeously presented my food was. In fact, every dish was exquisitely composed – colours were vibrant and beautiful but no diner ever sees this in such romantic darkness. This is certainly a place to return to. Prices were very reasonable, produce was excellent and the food coming from the kitchen was superb and provided plenty of vegetarian options. The venue itself is very beautiful, creating a wonderful environment to wrap yourself in for an evening. Highly recommended. - Anna, Morsels and Musings.
V Rating: VVV OK, Pompei’s is not a vego restaurant. The many, many vego options suited my craving for variety but it bears mentioning that my wife ordered carpaccio, which she rated as ‘lovely’.
In fact I told the waiter at length how fab it was, how my wife and I had travelled through Italy and I never had puttanesca as good as this and would it be too much to get the chef out here and,.. then I noticed him shuffling nervously and his eyes moving in an agitated manner. After years of working in mining camps and eating from field kitchens, I could not claim to be a true foodie and it’s a rare thing for me to do anything more after eating than look to see if any of my fellow diners has left stuff on their plates. So believe me when I say Pompei’s food was fab; those of you with a more sublime palate than mine would do well to make a beeline for Pompei’s. Anon. 30/05/06.
V Rating: VVV Most Melburnians are a little bit wary of the famous Lygon Street Italian restaurant strip, what with its tourist crush, generally underwhelming food and relentless spruikers. But thankfully Trotters is way up the other end of the street, out of the sight of tourists and really only known to locals. It is also ideally situated a few doors up from the Nova cinema, perfect for that pre-film dinner and glass of wine. I’ve been to Trotters once before and didn’t even look at the menu. On the specials board was polenta with roast vegetables and napoli sauce. Sold! No, sir, I will not need the menu. And an excellent meal it was. So last night, before seeing Where The Truth Lies (great flick, by the way), we dropped into Trotters and I was keen to see just what kind of V-Rating this place deserved. I was pleasantly surprised. The regular menu contains four veggie options: pumpkin and pea risotto, spinach & ricotta ravioli in an arrabbiata sauce, polenta with eggplant, napoli and roquette, and a lentil burger on turkish with hommous. In addition, the specials board always contains a veggie option — five decent vegetarian meals to choose from ain’t bad. With the prices for these meals ranging from between $12 to $14 it’s good value too. I chose last night’s special — linguine with broccoli, tomato and garlic ($12.80) — and didn’t regret it. Al dente pasta tossed with a generous offering of broc and tomato in olive oil and just the right amount of garlic. You know, you want that great garlic taste but you’ve also got to go out and face the public after the meal. My wife went for the polenta and was also impressed. The servings aren’t huge but they are sufficient, the wine is quite good for $5 glasses, and the restaurant’s small, warm, dim and welcoming wooden interior definitely makes the meal more pleasant. If you’ve got interstate visitors who are begging to go to Lygon Street, take them to Trotters. If you live in Melbourne then here is a legitimate reason to dine on Lygon Street south of Cemetery Road. Reviewed 20 May 2006, SDEB
V Rating: V-ware Ravesi’s highlights one of the conundrums of the V rating system. It only has one vegetarian entree and main, and the entree is not vegan. Therefore, I’ve given it a V-ware. However, each of these dishes is exquisite and worth trying (at least) once. I’d even go so far as to say that Ravesi’s has the best food in Bondi - their vegetarian option was better than Icebergs or Sean’s Panorama. The vegetarian entree is black genoa figs with pistachio crusted goats curd and olive. This is sublime. The figs are fresh and lightly heated to release their sweetness. The tartness and creamy texture of the goats cheese enhances the flavour of the figs, and is in turn set off by the pistachio crust and light use of olive. I wasn’t overly excited by the description of the single vegetarian main, saffron tagliatelle with sugar snaps, cherry truss tomatoes, eggplant, oregano, olive and rocket pesto. I expected that the pesto might make the dish oily, and that the vegetables were uninspiring. I was wrong. The pesto added a light hint of flavour to the tagliatelle, without being overpowering or oily. The vegetables were all deliciously cooked. The eggplant was cut into rough chunks with the skin left off. The flesh was very soft without being overly oily, and the crackling skin added structure and a smoky flavour. The cherry truss tomatoes have a lovely rich flavour, and the sugar snaps add freshness. Suffice to say, there were no leftovers. Ravesi’s is pricey so you may prefer to take advantage of the early bird special which gives you a main and dessert for $20, or $25 if you also have a glass of wine. However, that means you don’t get the figs. In addition to the delicious food, Ravesi’s has a prime location on Campbell Parade. The building dates back to 1914, before Bondi was the ultra popular destination it is today. While the downstairs bar is often packed with beautiful people, the upstairs restaurant has a minimalist design and gorgeous wooden veranda that overlooks the water and Hall Street. Go there for the food and view. Pray they add another vegetarian main to lift them out of the V-ware doghouse. |
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