Cavallino Ristorante Pizzeria, Terrey Hills

It's not everyday that you see "Margherita with hot chips" under the pizza section in the menu of an Italian restaurant. However, with Giovanni Pilu as the executive chef here at Cavallino we're hoping that it can't go too wrong.

Once we enter the restaurant, we're greeted by a reception desk which makes it seem like a fancy hotel. The restaurant itself is a spacious stone building with lots of mahogany tones and windows, but luckily we're seated near an open fireplace which keeps us toasty and warm on this chilly night. We select a few entrees, pizzas and pastas to share, including the hot chips pizza (for research purposes of course!)

Naia: margherita with hot chips - $19

Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes, Ricotta and Spinach

One of the very first cookbooks I received as a gift was from my sister for my 18th birthday. At the time, I had no idea who Bill Granger was or what he was well known for, but flipping through Simply Bill I could immediately tell that Bill Granger's approach to food was all about simplicity and a focus on fresh ingredients.

A while back I visited Bills in Surry Hills for dinner and my sister ordered this spaghetti dish which looked so minimalistic on the menu but was bursting with flavour. I remembered seeing the dish in Simply Bill so I tried out the recipe at home and was surprised at how simple it was to recreate.

The ricotta imparts a lovely creaminess to the pasta dish while roasting the vegetables brings out the natural sweetness from the onion and richness from the tomatoes. Toss it all into some cooked pasta with some baby spinach and you have yourself a quick and tasty dinner in no time!

Pizza e Birra, Surry Hills

It was our lucky day. Sir D, BLT and I had just driven out to meet Flamezy at Pizza e Birra in Surry Hills for lunch. We were expecting to have difficulty finding parking but lo and behold! A free parking space beckoned to us right outside Pizza e Birra which we claimed without any hesitation. It was just the start of what was going to be a fantastic day.

Seeing how packed the restaurant was and knowing its' popularity, we anticipated a short wait to be seated. Surprisingly, we were seated straight away as if a table had already been set in advance for us. The food gods were definitely smiling on us today! We were handed rustic brown paper menus containing an array of pizzas, pastas, salads and sweets.

Spinaci e Gamberi (Spinach and Prawn) pizza - $23.00