Bacco Osteria e Espresso, Sydney

Bacco Osteria e Espresso is the latest addition to the Angel Place laneway dining district. A cafe/espresso bar in the morning, morphing into a full on restaurant by midday, its small menu is inspired by seasonal ingredients, house-made everything and regional Italian dishes. The food here is simple, delicious and allows the ingredients to shine. Case in point: the artichoke hearts draped over a bed of creamy stracciatella cheese, drizzled with olive oil and served with crostini. Keep an eye out for the specials, like the hand-dived wild Port Phillip scallops which were superbly sweet, and served grilled on the shell with garlic and butter. We ordered all the pastas which were incredible. I thought the standout dish would be the spaghetti alla chitarra with sea urchin (don't get me wrong, it tasted amazing and reminded me of Chinese ginger and shallot crab, in a good way!), but my favourite was the gnocchi with pistachio and pecorino - a recipe straight from executive chef Andrew Cibej's nonna. I guess there really is nothing that compares to an Italian nonna's food!


TL;DR: Italian osteria that prides itself on showcasing local, seasonal produce with amazing house-made pastas.
Favourite dish: Gnocchi, pistachio and pecorino
Would I return?: Yes, most likely for the pastas!

Bacco Osteria e Espresso
2–12/1 Angel Pl
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: + 61 2 9235 3383
Open Monday to Friday, noon to late; Saturday, 5:30pm to midnight

Artichokes, stracciatella - $18

Wild Port Phillip scallops - $24

Spaghetti alla chitarra, sea urchin, beach banana - $28

Bucatini, pippies, nduja - $26

Strozzapreti, goat and guanciale ragu - $26

Gnocchi, pistachio, pecorino - $24

Roasted broccoli, house-cured bottarga and chilli - $12

Cafe Sopra, Alexandria

Italian food is like that person you know who somehow manages to be friends with everyone. It's simple, crowd-pleasing and reliably delicious - I mean, have you ever met anyone who doesn't like pizza or pasta?

So when it comes to choosing restaurants, one of my fallback plans is always Cafe Sopra. The food is consistently tasty and reasonably priced, and there are multiple locations around Sydney including the CBD and Potts Point which makes it super convenient.

Today we pay a visit to Cafe Sopra in Alexandria, which has both indoor and outdoor seating. It's a beautiful warm day, and the windows are opened to let in fresh air and sunlight on the otherwise dark interior.

Arancini with mixed herbs, taleggio and salad cream - $18

There's a selection starters, pizzas, pastas and heavier meat-based dishes on the menu, which I think are best shared so you get to try a bit of everything. Arancini are always a crowd favourite so we start with those - crispy fried balls of risotto with mixed herbs, fluffy shavings of taleggio cheese and a creamy dipping sauce.

Chicken liver pate with green beans, cucumber and toast - $22

It's a hot day so we opt for some cold items as well, like this huge slab of chicken liver pate. It's served with crusty bread that's been toasted until crispy, and a slide of green bean and cucumber salad. There's so much pate that you can generously slather on as much as you like on the toast and there will still be plenty left for everyone. The flavour of the pate is also on point - not too strong on the liver taste and also nice and smooth.

Pizza speciale

LuMi Bar & Dining, Pyrmont

Since opening late in 2014, LuMi Bar & Dining has been on my radar for a while. I'd seen lots of photos on Instagram and heard about the awesome pasta dishes, so when my birthday rolled around earlier this year (yes, this is a very delayed post!), I requested to have my birthday dinner at LuMi.

The cuisine is a unique blend of Japanese and Italian influences, brought on by head chef Federico Zanellato's training both at Ryugin in Tokyo and Ormeggio at the Spit. There is an option of an a la carte menu, but we decided to go with the 8 course tasting menu which was only $95pp.

Menu

The restaurant is located where the old Ripples at Sydney Wharf used to be - right on the pier overlooking Pyrmont Bay and facing Metcalfe park. The glass walls of the restaurant let in lots of natural light during the day, but be warned that it does get quite dark at night so apologies for the declining photo quality as the night goes on!

Snacks: Cheese tartlet and corn; cos lettuce, pistachio, tomato, miso; potato and rosemary foccacia; rice chips salt and vinegar

We start with a plate of four snacks which are perfect mouthfuls to whet the appetite. My favourite was the cheese tartlet with corn - a classic flavour combination. The rice chips with salt and vinegar were also interesting wafer-like rice paper sheets that melted in the mouth, just leaving the salt and vinegar flavour behind.

Cos lettuce, pistachio, tomato, miso

Cheese tartlet and corn

Chawanmushi

Ormeggio at the Spit, Mosman

When the Sydney dining scene changes so quickly, it's easy to get so caught up in chasing the latest shiny new restaurant that you forget about the ones that have stood the test of time. Alessandro Pavoni has been serving up elegant Italian food for 6 years at Ormeggio, and has achieved two hats in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide for the past 3 years.

Ormeggio is situated on the water at the Spit Bridge, making it a picturesque location for an early Sunday dinner. We're indulging in Ormeggio's Stressless Sunday Dinner, which includes 5 courses of the chef's choosing for the princely sum for $69pp. It was kind of nice not having to make choices from a menu and let the chefs do the thinking for you - very stressless indeed!

Ormeggio bakery organic warm sourdough, homemade whipped ricotta

We start off with a house-baked sourdough. The bread arrives warm, with a chewy centre and beautiful dark crust, and a light whipped ricotta to spread onto the bread. This is some seriously good bread so when we're asked if we would like another serve, we can't say no!

Biodynamic veal tonnato

ACME, Rushcutters Bay

As an avid watcher of Looney Tunes cartoons as a child, the word Acme conjures up images of dynamite, explosions and Wile. E. Coyote. But I found out that 'ACME' has other meanings as well - a Greek word referring to the best of something, and also a convenient acronym of the first initials of the owners Andy Emerson, Cam Fairbairn, Mitch Orr, and Ed Loveday.

I was keen to see if ACME lived up to its name. It delivered on the Looney Tunes front with cool dynamite shaped light fixtures, but what of the food?

Baloney sandwich - $8

I was insistent on trying the Baloney sandwich, after seeing it appear on my instagram feed several times with people gushing about its amazing-ness. At $8 a pop (when we visited), it's definitely not your standard devon sambo, but there's a delicate quality to the thin sheets of mortadella sandwiched between a fluffy bun. I can't say it blew my socks off though, and certainly didn't meet my expectations based on the hype.

Burrata, nectarine, basil - $26

Buffalo Dining Club, Darlinghurst

For a long time, the only cheese I knew about was the plasticky slices of Kraft Singles. I remember trying to make grilled cheese as a kid and wondering why my cheese didn't ooze and melt under the grill quite like the ones I saw on TV.

It wasn't until later on in life that I realised that there was a whole world of cheeses beyond Kraft Singles, all with different flavours and textures. I soon discovered that soft, creamy cheeses like brie and camembert, and stretchy, mild flavoured cheeses like mozzarella were amongst some of my favourites, and sought them out like they were going out of fashion.

Buffalo Dining Club menu

It wasn't long before I found out about burrata, a stretchy pouch of milky mozzarella that holds a surprise flowing river of rich thickened cream inside. When I saw it on the menu at Buffalo Dining Club, I knew I had to have it. The other cheeses would have to wait because the burrata was calling my name!

Burrata with choice of two sides - $20

All the cheeses at Buffalo Dining Club are $20 each and come with a choice of two sides. We decided to get the potato croquettes and honey baby carrots to go with our cheese. The plate also comes with some bread and nduja, a spicy sausage that you can spread onto the bread.

Burrata

Pizza Autentico, Surry Hills

I used to love buffets. The thought of being able to eat as much as you want was like heaven for me and invariably, it would result in us paying loads of money, stuffing our faces to ensure we get value for money (don't even think about wasting stomach space on bread!), and then feeling ill for the rest of the night.

Now, I'm much more inclined to spend my money on smaller portions of better quality food, at a place that focuses on one type of food and does it well, rather than going somewhere where I can eat huge quantities but not so great food. Well, it turns out these don't have to be mutually exclusive. At Pizza Autentico, a mere $20 gets you all you can eat, high-quality pizza and pasta made fresh by Italian chefs for 90 minutes straight.

Menu

The unlimited pizza and pasta menu has over 10 pizzas and 5 pastas to choose from, which waiters bring out straight from the kitchen. The pizzas and pastas are served to each diner so you get the opportunity to taste a little bit of everything.

Marinated olives, olive tapenade, house made bread

Before we get started on the pizzas and pastas though, a small board of olives, olive tapenade, olive oil and house made bread is brought out to whet the appetite. All the fresh ingredients used at Pizza Autentico are sourced from Salt Meats Cheese in Alexandria, so you know it's going to be good!

N'duja pizza

It doesn't take long for the pizzas to start flowing. Each pizza is brought around and you're asked if you want a slice. Um... yes please! The first one we try is the n'duja pizza, a napoli sauce base with spicy Italian pork sausage and mozzarella.

Clockwise from top left: Vatillinese, Siciliana, Capricciosa and Margherita pizzas

Pasta Emilia, Surry Hills

I'm always drawn to places that do one thing, and do it very well. To me, it means that all focus and dedication is placed onto one type of food and mastering it, making it the best it possibly can.

There's no prizes for guessing what Pasta Emilia's main strength is. The pasta here is made onsite and with organic ingredients, using recipes from the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy which is famous for its pasta. Pasta Emilia makes several types, including fettuccine, strozzapreti and filled pastas like ravioli and tortelli. While these are all available for purchase in convenient take home packs and sauces, we decided to eat in at the rustic, cottage-like cafe in Surry Hills for dinner one night.

Strozzapreti al ragu di carne and parmagiano - $18

We're here for the pasta so we skip the entrees and dive straight in. The house made strozzapreti is a short pasta that kind of reminds me of DNA strands with its rolled and twisted structure. Strozzapreti literally means "priest stranglers" and legend has it that the name comes from the fact that priests enjoyed the pasta so much, they ate it too quickly and choked themselves! Whether that's true or not, make sure you savour every mouthful of this strozzapreti that's mixed with a rich beef ragu topped with a sprinkling of parmesan.

Crab and prawn tortelli with salsa verde and chopped rucola - $32

Puntino Trattoria, Woolloomooloo

If you're a cheese lover and you haven't tried burrata yet, you are seriously missing out. Inside this plump, knotted ball of cheese is cream and soft mozzarella that oozes out once it is cut into. It is rich, creamy and oh so delicious! The promise of burrata and wood-fired oven pizza is what drew us to Puntino Trattoria, which is hidden away on the Woolloomooloo side of Crown Street.

Cacio di cavallo - $16.90

We're being treated tonight with a multitude of cheeses and treats from the wood-fired oven, starting with the smoked provolone that is baked in the wood-fired oven with shaved black truffle. The truffle aroma hits as soon as it lands on the table, and we use the tongs to take a piece of the melty, stretchy cheese and eat it with the accompanying bread.

Calzone ai formaggi - $10 (left) and calamari in padella - $16 (right)

Other entrees that we sample also include the calzone ai formaggi - a wood-fired pizza folded over with mozzarella, parmesan and garlic - and a simple but delicious flash friend calamari with lemon and garlic. The calamari pieces are especially good as they are slightly tangy from the lemon and very tender.

Mozzarella degustazione platter - $15.50pp (min 2 ppl)

Pendolino, Sydney

Hidden away in a corner of the top level of the Strand Arcade is Pendolino. Its dark, moody and relaxed atmosphere is a far cry from the bright lights and hustle and bustle of the city, and is the perfect place to hide out and feast on some delicious Italian food.

Burrata pugliese con pomodori di vareita primaria - $26

When I spot burrata on the menu I'm sold. It's a pretty dish, with the Puglian Burrata as the centre of attention, surrounded by an heirloom tomato salad with basil, red onion and parsley. The tomatoes help to cut through the rich and creamy burrata and the addition of breadcrumbs also adds a crunchy texture to the dish.

Spaghetti chitarra con pesce d'acquadolce - $26/$39

Jamie's Italian, Sydney

No prizes for guessing where we are tonight! After a 45-minute wait in the queue, plus another 90-minute wait after placing our names on the waitlist at the counter, we are finally led to our table at Jamie's Italian. We also happen to spot some familiar faces during the wait (oh hai!). Big thanks to FFichiban for letting us share his table =D love you long time!

Freshly made pasta

While our table is being readied for us, we watch as one of the chefs stand behind a glass divider making fresh pasta - ricotta-filled ravioli in this case - as a tantalising taste of what is to come. Each raviolo is carefully placed in a wooden box before being dusted with flour and set aside.

Cocktails being made at the bar

We are taken past the bar area, where bellinis and other cocktails are being made by cheerful bar staff, and settle down into our table. There's a little touch of Jamie everywhere, from the message on the back of the menu, to the branded tea towels that are used as napkins in the restaurants, to the British accents of the waitstaff. We are handed some large A3 sized menus, with the menu divided up into nibbles, antipasti, pasta, mains, sides and desserts. Wanting to try as much as possible, we have a hard time trying to decide what to get, and somehow end up with 6 pastas and risottos to share between the four of us. Bring on the carbs!

Crispy squid - $12

Bells at Killcare, Killcare

A belated happy new year to everyone out there and I hope you all had a relaxing Christmas and new year break! I wouldn't say that my holiday season was particularly relaxing as such but thankfully Sir D and I took a little break before Christmas and we headed up to Bells at Killcare on the Central Coast.

 Killcare Beach (left); The fireplace in the cottage (right)

We stayed in one of the cottages on the Bells property which were cosy and well-stocked. There was a huge bed, a spa bath and a real fireplace! Yes I was quite excited by the fire - Sir D got it working every night and it did a good job of warming up the place which got quite chilly once the sun set. There was a breakfast hamper provided every morning which we cooked ourselves on the bbq on the deck, and the rest of the days were spent exploring the nearby beaches.

Seashell light on the table (left); Olives and parmesan crisps (right)

On the last night we headed to the restaurant to indulge in a three course dinner. The dining room is spacious and decked out in nautical blue and white tones and seashells. The waitstaff are smiling and pleasant and very attentive to our every need, and after we place our order a small plate of mixed olives and parmesan crisps arrives on our table.

Veal crudo with extra virgin olive oil, lemon and Reggiano - $24

Manly Pavilion, Manly

With summer well and truly here in Sydney, it's time to hit the beach! And as much as I love the surf and the sand, sometimes I like to just enjoy a nice meal and enjoy the fantastic views of the beach without having to get my legs sandy or my toes wet.

The view from the outdoor dining area at Manly Pavilion is stunning and the perfect way to enjoy a relaxed Sunday lunch by the beach. Though we're not seated outside this time, we're still able to see a gorgeous view of the water and the coastline through the large glass windows and doors around the room. While the restaurant is situated right next to the beach, it's quite an upmarket place with no shorts or thongs in sight.

We start with some complimentary bread with some olive oil while we peruse the menu. While the menu fits on a single page, there are so many dishes that we want to try that we take forever to decide. There is also the option of having a 5 course tasting menu for $98pp, but in the end we settle on selecting our own dishes from the a la carte menu.

Scampi, celery ragu and bagna cauda - $29