Review: Dante Ristorante, Leichhardt

There are a few things in life I often get cravings for: KFC Mashies, Coffee, and most importantly, Italian food.

When such cravings arise, contrary to popular belief, they often do the world a whole lot of good - especially for those who are as indecisive as I am when it comes to picking a place to eat. So when JL called up the other night asking what I wanted for dinner, the choice was simple.

"Dude, dude, I'm CRAAAVING for Italian. I feel like smacking my face in a bowl of spag bol."

Next thing I knew he had made a booking at Dante's (Italian Forum) and I was jumping into the car ready to nom.

Bruschetta - $12.90

First up was a lightly flavoured Bruschetta to start the night off. Call me slow on the uptake, but I only recently discovered that the word is not pronounced as "Brushetta" but "Brusketta". Seriously? Seriously. I know eh? Eyeopening isn't it? And here I am calling myself a foodie. Gosh, guess you really do learn something new everyday.

Chef's Homemade Gnocchi with Veal Ragout - $18.90

As I delved into the Pasta menu, my eyes lit up as my world of favourites begin to collide. Gnocchi? Veal Ragout? All on the one plate? I think I nearly fainted. The dish was absolutely delightful and full of robust flavour. The veal was delectably tender and the soft pillows of gnocchi were simply superb. My only beef was that there wasn't more of it.

Linguini Scampi - $25.90

With a little pressure, JL chose Linguine with Scampi as his main for the evening (the alternative being spaghetti bolognaise - which little did he know he was going to have the following night at Borruso's).

While not being entirely a fan of scampi sashimi, these ones were cooked to perfection and absolutely to die for. Serve was a tad on the scrimpy side, but what was there was delicious. The scampi oil which coated the linguine was also highly aromatic and full of flavour.


Dante Ristorante
Piazza, Shop 39
23 Norton Street
Leichhardt, NSW 2040
Tel: (02) 9550 0062

Review: Palate, Sydney

“Japanese…again?!”

When you have no time, no booking, no money, no sleep and have been eating fast and unhealthy meals during the week, the first cuisine you think of is Japanese. It’s quick, cheap and relatively healthy but for some (not me, I will never get sick of this cuisine), it becomes incredibly boring. So that was FYL’s complaint when I once again suggested Japanese. After this exclamation, we found ourselves standing under the staircase at World Square, peering into what appeared to be a fairly busy café.

“No. Not a café for dinner.”

Making our way around the corner, we reached a dimly lit restaurant, which seemed to be closed until a waiter signalled for us to come in the other entrance. Turns out, it was the restaurant version of the café we saw but perfect for us – quieter and exclusive called Palate. 

FYL was very happy with her selection, especially the privacy it brought us, until the waiter opened the main entrance and several other groups came in. The atmosphere and décor immediately made me feel comfortable and slightly high-class too but the prices didn’t turn out to be that expensive either!

Photo compliments of FYL 

Photo compliments of FYL

Photo compliments of FYL

We’d been told that canapés would be served at the party we were all heading to later on, so amongst the four of us, we decided to order three dishes.

Pumpkin & Beetroot Salad $11.00

Spending a whole week having quick lunches and dinners meant I had little veges to satisfy my nutritional quota for the week and the Pumpkin & Beetroot Salad was welcomed with open arms. The beetroot was sweet and juicy, juicy enough to warrant my careful gobbling to avoid staining my shirt. The roast pumpkin on the other hand may have been a tad overcooked so slightly on the dry side, but overall the salad was nicely refreshing.

 Mushroom Risotto $14.00

When we reached the Mushroom Risotto however, I’ll have to say, the presentation wasn’t the best attribute of this dish. In our little photo here, the Parmesan cheese has shielded you from most of the risotto but when we made our way past those top layers, the consistency was too gooey and brown – the resemblance was really too uncanny. I’d have to say it was also a bit too flavoured for my liking but partnered with our other two dishes, it made it through.

Salt & Pepper Squid $10

Finally, the Salt & Pepper Squid. What can I say? I love deep fried nibbles. Although it didn’t satisfy my health conscious self, it certainly satisfied my tastebuds, stomach and everyone else around the table – a good sharing tapas dish. This one had all my approval with its hint of garlic and chilli flavours.

Palate wasn’t our idea of a homely Italian restaurant bustling with energy but really suited that particular occasion where we just wanted to dine in peace before another late night out. The prices were quite reasonable and although a slight fluctuation on the taste, we will probably put this on the hit list for another relaxed dining experience, especially since it’s so conveniently situated inside World Square.

Palate

World Square

Level Upper Ground, Shop 17-18, 123 Liverpool Street

Sydney NSW 2000

PH: (02) 9264 3661

Review: Carpaccio, Leichhardt

"Italian food - where should we go?"
"Let's go to Leichhardt!"
"Okay! But where?"

Being the aspiring food blogger, I was entrusted with the task of answering that question. Once I found the place- it was all settled. Let me give you guys a bit of a background - briefly. I'm Asian. I have an Asian family. They don't like to (normally) try new stuff. They don't like driving to places far away. In my world, going to Leichardt and that we were trying something so unfamiliar, was a foodie miracle!

So after reading countless reviews and blogs, I was down to two - Castel Mola and Carpaccio. The final decision was Carpaccio, made by my cousin KL who reasoned that it would be a better, quieter atmosphere for a family dinner.

We arrived relatively early at 6pm for a 6:30pm booking so we managed to take a sneak peek at the nearby 'Italian Forum' - an area which mimics the traditional Italian architecture and houses a residential area, retails shops and various eateries - which in foodie terms, was extremely appealing to me. I've already got my eyes set on a couple of places to dine and consume dessert at!

Italian Forum

When it was about time, we made our way around the corner back onto Norton Street towards our nominated restaurant of the night. My cousin was spot on with his 'atmosphere' prediction. We were seated outside, right next to the fountain and the slow running water was quite a soothing background for the family to converse in and scrutinise the menu.

To start, we ordered from the Sputini (sharing plates) menu and chose a garlic wood fired pizza crust with bresaola, rocket, parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil. When it arrived, I actually thought that the bresaola was proscuitto! similar taste and a delicious combination with the crust!

Garlic Woodfired Pizza Crust $18

This was followed by the mains. We decided that we'd have two pizzas and three mains to share amongst the seven of us so that we could fit down dessert later. The pizza selection was quite extensive so we chose one vegetarian, Giardino and one meats pizza, Bologna.

Giardino $22

The Giardino was topped with eggplant, red capsicum, red onion, ricotta and house-made basil pesto. The vegetables weren't too dry and sat nicely on the thin and crispy base. As with all vegetarian pizzas that I've tried, it was a light alternative and delicious too!

Bologna $22

The Bologna on the other hand, with its selection of sliced beef fillet, grille chicken breast, pepperoni, pork sausage and sprinkled parsley, was a lot more aromatic and filling. Having had a meaty pizza earlier in the day, I was relieved to find my carnivorous needs being satisfied without having copious amounts of oil deposited in my stomach!

What followed came from the Primi Piatti lis, from which we chose a delicious ravioloni filled with roast duck (nomnomnom!) and porcini mushroom mousse served with pomegranate which we upgraded to a main size.

Raviolini $23 + $5 upsize

I'll have to admit that having never tasted pomegranate seeds in dish before, it added a lovely flavour and gave a nice touch of colour to the raviolini. My recent love affair with roast duck might have helped too! =)

Moving on, we ordered two more items from the Second Piatti - the veal escallops pan friend in white wine & tarragon cream topped with char-grilled king prawn.

Veal Escallops $32

and the balentino of chicken filled with sultana and pistachio served with King Edward potato veloutte.

Balentino of Chicken $28

I actually wanted to order the rabbit dish too (as cruel as that may sound) but I don't think that really appealed to my family.

Both dishes were very well presented and I don't know about you guys, but the description was genuinely mouth-watering in itself and the dishes were no exception. The veal escallop was absolutely delicious, exceeded my expectations (being the amateur that I was, I stupidly thought we had ordered scallops!) and matched beautifully with the white wine sauce and king prawn. The balentino of chicken was tender and had been cooked long enough to soak up the flavours while not turning it to mush. So in a word - yum!

Having finished our little feast, we decided that five dishes was not quite enough and went for one last dish from the Primi Piatti - the spaghettini with blue swimmer crab meat, in cherry tomato, chilli, garlic and white wine sauce.

Spaghettini with Blue Swimmer Crab Meat $23 + $5 Upsize

My first impression, when I saw this dish, was that it was just normal spaghetti and wouldn't be particularly delicious. When I tasted it however, I really loved it! Unlike normal spaghetti, this was closer to angel hair with the thinner strands which was a lighter alternative and in combination with a nice tomato sauce and the chunks of crab meat, it was definitely a tick from me.

After all this food, we decided not to have dessert at the restaurant after all and went to just grab some take-out tiramisu to eat at home. Although I've never been to Italy, I think that tonight's meal was one of the closer encounters I've had to authentic Italian - but I might be wrong when I ever make that trip halfway across the world to try the culinary delights over there. It was a worthwhile trek and I can't wait to return to the area to dine at the other yummy Italian places!


Carpaccio
Shop 8, 39-45 Norton St
Leichhardt, NSW 2040
Ph: (02) 9550 9365

Review: Dolce Latte Gelato & Pizza, Concord

Quattro Funghi (tomato, mozzarella, field mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, swiss brown mushrooms, topped w fresh rocket) - $ 16.50 small

If only I had room in my stomach to order gelato after...

Once in a while it is always nice to visit the places which are close to home - the little places right on your doorstep which you always seem to miss because you are looking into the distance for a little adventure. Once in a while you decide to just reel yourself back in and relax a little, right in front of your little house on the prairie.

Mind you, my house is no house on the prairie, but you get the drift...

Tutto Quanto (tomato, mozzarella, pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, mushroom, Spanish onion, roasted capsium, olives, (anchovies option)) - $17 small

I've frequently visited this little pizzeria and gelato bar down on Majors Bay Road. It's a little place that brings me fond memories of just sitting back and relaxing with my group of friends, enjoying some pizza under the sun and gelato for dessert. It's nothing fancy, but its lovely to be able to just ditch the knife and fork (even though it's provided) and pick up a slice of pizza with your hands and don a fat grin as you bite into the pizza.

The Quattro Funghi is something I can never pass up on my visit to Dolce Latte. I love mushroom to bits. Perhaps even to the extent that I could imagine my stomach wall to be sprouting these babies. The rocket is lovely to have with every mouthful of pizza and I always end up picking the last bits from the plate with my fingers.

The Tutto Quanto was a first try, and it was loaded with toppings in a very unauthentic manner. Not that it was a bad thing- it tasted excellent!

So how many people were there to finish the 2 pizzas? Two. And I had an entire one to myself. (YAY!) I think I nearly cried in guilt after I finished, but heck, I was hungry. I'll still probably be either fasting or going on a calorie-minimising diet for the next few days regardless, but the pizza was totally worth it.


Dolce Latte Gelato & Pizza
93 Majors Bay Road
Concord, NSW 2137
Tel: (02) 9743 0359

Review: Pizza e Birra, Surry Hills

--- Written by WX, Photos by AY

Last Friday, FW claimed he had the best place in mind to take everyone. I was quickly told that the place is called Pizza e Birra. In my semi-comatosed state after my visit to the dentist (yes I'm exaggerating), I replied in a confused state:

"Pizza e WHAT?"
"Birra - it's the place name."
"Bulla? What?"
"No, BIRRA."

Then I was told to just shut up and get in the car. My dream had finally come true. My friends were kidnapping me to feed me. Perhaps now is the time to store a bone in my purse so they can keep fattening me?

The buzziness of the place was apparent from the first moment I stepped in. Rustic overtones and a distinct earthiness oozed from every corner of the restaurant. Most noteworthy observation was the use what I can only describe has fancy butcher paper with a stamp of "Pizza e Birra" on it as table coverings. Big tick for the "something different to tickle your fancy" box.

Complimentary bread and olive oil were served promptly after ordering. Yes, just bread and warm olive oil. While the bread and the oil were nice per se, I generally prefer mine with a little balsamic vinegar. You could imagine my surprise when I dipped my bread into the accompanying dish, only to discover that I had merely been soaking up olive fat. Yummy and warm olive fat. Hehe.

Service on the whole was a bit absent throughout the night. There were quite a few moments where we felt we should have brought a fishing line with us in hope to catch any waiter swimming around all the tables. Speaking of tables, I think I would have been much more comfortable with a little more space so that I didn't have to eat with my elbows tucked in tightly, in fear of KO-ing someone as I'm eating.

Calamari Fritti - $23

We ordered two entrees to share. First up the Calamari Fritti was well executed and light. It could have used a little more salt and pepper, but on the whole they were a nice way to start the evening. The rocket provided an interesting and refreshing accompaniment.

Arancini - $7

The arancinis were appetising and perfectly cheesy to my liking. Overall they were moist and tasty. I definitely could have had a few more.

Quattro Formaggi - $21.50

The Quattro Formaggi was nicely cheesy and tasty - perfect for the cheeselover. However I did notice that quite a lot of the cheese around the edges were far from melted, and that the crust was a tad on the overly-makes-my-jaw-hurt chewy. Nevertheless they were enjoyable.

Pizza e Birra - $24

Signature dishes always have the trouble of needing to live up to expectations. All I can say that Pizza e Birra definitely met mine, and I was terribly sad that I only ended up having half a slice, sharing it with FW. The spinach was soft and wonderfully tasty - I never really thought about how spinach might work on a pizza. Hi rocket, I think you have just been bumped.

Linguine con Vongole - $23

FYL also chose the Linguine con Vongole demonstrated how pasta should be cooked and the definition of "al dente". The flavours were subtle and it really gave the vongole a chance to show off its flavours.

Pappadella con Ragu Atrano - $23

Pappadella con Ragu Atrano was perhaps my absolute favourite for the night. It belongs in my list of "Bait-Dishes" - those dishes which transforms me from a "researching-foodie" into a "returning-customer". The duck was so wonderfully tender and juicy, bursting with flavour in the rich tomato ragu. The pappadella was also cooked al dente and wrapped itself gracefully around the delectable sauce. More-ish would be an understatement.

Overall I'm a bit torn about how I feel about the restaurant. The food was excellent and wins my heart over instantly, likewise the buzzy ambience and the warmth of the place. What turns me off somewhat is the poor service by some waiters, the lack of attention paid to the table, and just things like clearing out your table too quickly and having to chase for your bill.

I don't know. I'm still undecided. Duck ragu or no ragu?

Pizza e Birra
Shop 1, 500 Crown Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 9332 2510

Zucchini, Mussel, Prawn, Risotto

I have this strange love for zucchinis. Part of me loves them because they look deceptively like cucumbers but are in fact quite different from them - almost prankster-like and cheeky. Wikipedia tells me that they're the swollen ovaries of the female zucchini flower. What the?

Anyway, while I would have been perfectly happy smacking my face in a bowl of zucchini and parmesan risotto, JL was visiting for lunch which meant that he probably would have cried on the sight of my almost rabbit-food-like-food. That's when my bags of frozen seafood came in handy.

So here it is folks, my Zucchini, Mussel, Prawn, Mussel, Prawn Risotto. And Parmesan, of course.

You'll need about six mussels, more if you like them lots. You'll also need about a tonne of peeled prawns. A tonne here means about 100g. In retrospect I think 100g of prawn shells on top would have been excellent. You'll see why.

You'll also need 1/2 an onion, 1 clove of garlic...

and 2 zucchinis, grated.

Saute the mussel and half of the prawns (or prawn shells if you have them) with a little garlic and olive oil until they change colour. Don't overcook anything (including the garlic) or you'll be kicking yourself.

Pour contents into a small pot and pour about 1L of chicken stock in. Add salt to taste and bring to boil. Proceed to simmer the stock for at least 30 minutes (you may need to add more stock).

The stock should change colour. If you had prawn shells you'd soon realise that this stock is like the big-O in a pot. Seafood stock is totally full of wins.

Once you are happy with the stock, proceed with the risotto.

Saute 1/2 onion. I burnt mine because I got distracted by my temper. Don't make the same mistake - it's just not worth it.

Once the onions are transparent, add 3 cups of arborio rice and continue sauteing. Sauteing? Sautaying? Guh. I have no idea.

Then one ladle at a time, add the prawn and mussel stock into the rice, stirring gently to allow the rice to absorb all the liquid before adding the next ladle. Proceed until the grains are almost fully saturated and won't soak up any more liquid.

Add grated zucchini to the pot and let it cook slightly.

Give it a good stir so that it doesn't catch on the bottom. Just be gentle though.

Pour the remaining seafood stock into the pan and let it simmer with the lid on. Make sure you have a pot of chicken stock additionally on the side bubbling away. Risotto needs lots of liquid. If the rice dries out, add another ladle of liquid into the pan.

Once the rice is almost done, (taste test is the key) add the seafood contents of the stock into the pan. These should be quite tender.

In a separate pan, saute remaining prawns until coloured.

Throw into pan and cook until rice is tender. Once done, turn off the heat and add a cup of freshly grated parmesan.

Then just serve with a little cracked pepper.


Zucchini, Mussel, Prawn, Risotto
Serves 3

Buy:
2 Zucchinis, grated
3 cups Arborio Rice
100g Green Prawns
100g Prawn Shells (if you have them)
6 Mussels
1/2 Onion, finely diced
1 Garlic, minced
1L Chicken Stock (to use for Seafood Stock)
1L Chicken Stock, extra
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Cracked Pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

Make:

1. Saute mussels, half of the prawns, prawn shells in a pan with a little garlic and oil until colour changes
2. Tip contents into a pot and pour 1L of chicken stock. Add salt and bring to boil then simmer for 30minutes
3. In a saute pan, saute onions until transparent
4. Add rice and coat thoroughly with oil and cook slightly
5. One ladle at a time, add seafood stock and allow rice to fully absorb liquid before adding another ladle
6. Once fully saturated, pour remaining seafood stock into pan and bring to simmer
7. Stir in zucchini and allow to cook briefly while stirring
   
8. Put lid back on and simmer. Add extra stock slowly as risotto thickens and expands
9. When rice is almost cooked, add contents of stock (minus shells if you added them) into the pan, continue to simmer with lid on while adding stock
10. In a separate pan, saute remaining prawns until cooked
11. Add prawn into risotto and cook until rice is no longer has a rock centre
12. Add freshly grated parmesan and serve with cracked pepper