Changing the seasonal style of your food can be just as fun as updating your fall wardrobe. While I was browsing on OTTE I was inspired to create a dish that complemented the tones of the upcoming fall collection.

I channeled my recent visit to the organic farm to create a dish that really showcased the raw colors and flavors of local produce. I thought it would be fitting to make a warm antipasti bruschetta that is a contrast to its summery, raw tomato version.

I used a mixture of roasted, sun-dried and raw tomatoes to create a melange of textures, the grilled Italian vegetables slightly charred for that smokiness, the rich purple waxy potatoes for depth, the creamy mustard mayonnaise to bind everything together, scooped onto crusty bread.

As a fun presentation while entertaining guests, I laid out the ingredients “deconstructed” so my guests can mix and match their own bruschetta.

Ingredients:
Multigrain Baguette, toasted
Italian Grilled Aubergines, marinated in garlic olive oil
Italian Grilled Peppers, marinated in garlic olive oil
Italian Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Pitted Moroccan Oil-Cured Olives, sliced
Roasted Tomatoes in olive oil
Satur Farms Purple Basil
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, diced
Purple Baby Creamer Potato (baked)

Dressing:
3 tbsp Mayonnaise
2 tsp Seeded mustard
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt and Pepper

Garnish:
Aged Reggiano cheese, shaved

For the carnivores, these would go wonderfully with prosciutto. Serve warm on freshly grilled bread, spread with mustard dressing, combine all chopped ingredients and layer on top.

In the mood to shop for a fall wardrobe? Join me at www.otteny.com/fno !

We live in a world of microwave meals, instant noodles, food deliveries and fast food to comply with our hectic lifestyles. We’re spoilt with so many conveniences in terms of food, when it comes to a dish like risotto, it gets a little overwhelming for a lot of us. Funnily enough, it is that overwhelming feeling that makes me most appreciative of a risotto dish. There are no short-cuts, no instant risotto mix, no cheats. The amount of effort you put into your risotto is directly correlated to how wonderful the results will be. The simplicity of this rule allows anyone to have the skills to re-create a restaurant quality dish.

The most important thing you must consider is the quality of your ingredients, if you are spending the amount of time and effort to make a risotto it will only be ruined if your ingredients are sub par to begin with. My personal favorite is the Vialone Nano rice, although Carnaroli will do just fine as well (I was unable to find any Vialone Nano while I was shopping in the West Village). Use good sea salt, extra virgin olive oil, freshly grated cheese. (If you buy anything pre-grated or pre-packaged, well – stop reading and get out before I smack your face with a Parmesan rind).

The second most important thing is the sofritto. A sofritto is the foundation of the flavor that will slowly be built into the rice later. Most recipes will specify a white onion, garlic, a celery heart, and for the Milanese – bone marrow. The key to this is never brown any of the sofritto. Slowly sweat the onion on low heat with olive oil until it is translucent, so everything slowly disappears and absorbs into the rice as you move through to the tostato stage, where the rice is slightly toasted and a splash of wine or vermouth is added before we start adding the stock.

Stirring is important. A good risotto requires continuous attention – but attention that the ingredients deserve. Remember the wine you just opened to splash into the pan? Start drinking it! Cook with friends around you and share the wine and conversation. As long as you continue to stir the rice, and add the stock ladle by ladle, time will fly by. There’s something very edifying about watching every grain of rice hungrily soak up all the aromatic flavors and transforming into a rich creamy consistency. Don’t forget to let it stand for a few minutes before serving.

Some recipes out there calls for it, but I personally never add heavy cream to my risotto to help with the consistency. This is known as mantecato, and is a richer version than traditional risotto. I feel that it really takes away the flavor of the produce and all the work you’ve put in. Don’t do it!

I had originally planned to cook a traditional Risotto alla Milanese (with saffron), but I received a wonderful surprise in the mail that very day – fresh white truffles from Alba, Italy. Hence, I’ve created a white truffle risotto recipe in the style of a Milanese, probably breaking a few traditional rules. I would actually welcome your criticisms (especially from Italians), though I was very happy with the decadent result.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small eshallot, finely chopped
100 g popped bone marrow (Soaked in salted water for 1 hour)
1½ cups carnaroli rice
⅔ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
5 cups chicken stock, heated
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra
1-2 ounces white truffle, thinly shaved, divided
Good conversation and good friends

Method:

Store your white truffles with the dry rice in an airtight container for just over 24 hours, so the aroma is infused into rice.

In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm with olive oil. Add the onion and eshallot, sauté until translucent (do not brown!). Add the bone marrow and continue to cook on low heat until almost melted.

Add the rice, and toast for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Splash in the wine, and stir until all liquid is absorbed.

Add the stock one ladle at a time, and cook until the liquid is absorbed. One absorbed, add another ladle of stock and repeat. Stir evenly, half a circle at a time, almost making a “Yin Yang” pattern and watch the sides of the pot to make sure there are no drier sections left behind.

Once all the stock is absorbed (about 40 minutes later), the rice should be looking creamy but still al dente in texture. Stir in the butter, Parmigiano and half of the truffle shavings. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Allow the risotto to stand with the heat off, and the lid on for five minutes. It will make all the difference.

Serve garnished with more truffle shavings and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Serves 4 very happy individuals (you know who you are!)

Truffle slicer

Photo credit: Anthony Bo Chan

The class I recently attended was hosted by celebrity chef Darren Simpson of recently opened La Scala on Jersey, (and previously at Barenjoey and La Sala). The Irish, “regional neutral Italian chef” talks Italian cuisine in this hands on cooking, sharing some delightful recipes and tips for preparing easy but impressive recipes at home.

Chef explains that Italian cooking is about respect to fresh and good quality produce – there is no point preparing a beautiful pasta, only to mask the quality with a store bought sauce.

We learnt 3 simple dishes:
Deep fried Globe Artichokes

Spaghetti alla Vongole

Risotto with Pine Mushrooms, Thyme, Garlic, Vermouth and Parsley

Each recipe begins with a demonstration, followed by our own hands on cooking afterwards. Each cooking station holds groups of 4 people.

Darren was attentive with every cooking station, with personal tips and answers to any questions we had.

If you are interested in other Italian cooking classes by CIRA, you can contact them with the details below:

Casa Barilla
4 Annandale St
Annandale, 2038
Telephone 02 8585 3900
www.cira.com.au

One cup of butternut squash contains only 63 calories and almost 150% of your daily recommended amount of Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. This vitamin and powerful antioxidant can prevent lung cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, help alleviate or prevent inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, lower cholesterol levels, and much more. Folate is another important nutrient which can help prevent birth defects. It also has 32% of DV of Vitamin C, 25% of your DV of potassium, almost 6 grams of fiber, manganese, omega 3 fatty acids, several vitamin B’s and copper.

If you give the cubed butternut a quick roasted in the oven you can really enrich its flavour.

Ingredients

•Olive oil
•1 small butternut squash, trimmed and cut into cubes
•2 garlic cloves, minced
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
•1 cup vegetable stock
•1 packet Barilla Penne Rigate No. 73
•3/4 cup whole milk
•1/2 cup sage leaves
•1/4 cup grated Parmesan (reggiano)

Directions

Warm a good drizzle of olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash, garlic, a few torn sage leaves (not all of them), 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, around 5 to 7 minutes or so.

Add the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is very soft, another 5 to 7 minutes. Mash with a potato masher until you get a smooth consistency. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth, in fact, I like it slight chunky for the texture.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne and cook according to packet instructions – minus 2 minutes, so that it’s ever so slightly undercooked. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a separate small saucepan, heat olive oil over high heat. Shallow fry sage leaves until crispy and set aside on kitchen paper.

Add the drained pasta into the butternut mixture, and add 1/2 cup milk. Stir to combine. Add the remaining milk if you prefer a creamier sauce.

Sprinkle fried sage leaves on top and serve with grated reggiano.

Bon A Petito!

There are many recipes out there for Bolognese sauce, and we all have our own favorite. There are master combinations of pork/veal/beef mince, blend of vegetables to make a killer sofritto, cooking time that goes on for hours and hours… which produces divine results. But for all those times where we just want to prepare a simple meal that’s loved by all, with the same heartwarming effect but half the work, I’ve put this recipe together for you… with a little secret ingredient that really lifts the flavours.

Ingredients:
450g Beef mince
1 jar Barilla Arrabiata sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 brown onion, finely diced
1/2 bunch sage, roughly chopped
1 packet of mushrooms, sliced
1/4 Organic butternut squash, grated
1 packet Barilla Integrale spaghetti n.5
1/2 bottle of good red wine
Parmigiano Reggiano to serve

We want to start of by softening the garlic and onions with a good amount of olive oil in a saucepan. When the onion turns clear and the aroma starts to rise, tear the sage leaves into the hot oil and let the perfume infuse into the oil.

Pour in the mince and brown the meat in the saucepan, making sure everything is cooked through and there are no lumps. Add in the mushrooms along with a little extra drizzle of olive oil, stir it through, and then tip the entire jar of Arrabiata sauce in. I chose the arrabiata because of the extra heat from the chilli’s, and also reduces overall cooking time. And now for the fun part, empty just under half a bottle of red wine into the saucepan – and saving the other half for dinner time.

It’s time to add the secret ingredient. Grate a few slices of a butternut squash with a microplane and add it to the sauce. The sweetness of the butternut really adds to the flavour of the sauce and I’ve always been reluctant to add sugar to cooking. It will all melt into the sauce, and you won’t actually taste the butternut, but only the rich sweetness that is left behind.

Give it a good stir, cover and simmer on low heat for one hour. During that hour, I’ve always found that it’s a great time to work out, because there’s a lot of carbs coming your way!

After an hour, the sauce would have reduced into a much thicker consistency. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. I chose a semolina flour Spaghetti n5 and cook it just 2 minutes under the instructions for a good al dente texture. This is something that was taught to me by Chef Massimo Bianchi, you have to account for the time when you stir the pasta into the saucepan because it continues to cook.

Stir the pasta into the sauce, grate some parmigiano reggiano to serve and bon apetito!

Tracey and Ashley Hughes from Alio

This particular recipe that Ashley has chosen to share with us was actually taught to him by Rose Gray of the River Café. Ashley added his own personal touch of chestnuts to the finish of the dish, and makes this a magnificent vegetarian course. 

The Rotolo originated from the region of Emilia-Romagna, and it is simply a sheet of pasta covered with filling, rolled up to form a roulade, then poached and served in slices alongside some sauce. 

The recipe starts by making the pasta dough and allowing it to rest, then making the rotolo filling and allowing it to cool, followed by rolling the pasta dough. 

1000g flour tipo oo
6 egg yolks 
3 whole eggs 
30g salt 
1tsp oil 

Sieve the flour directly onto the bench. Make a well in the centre, place the eggs, salt and oil into the well. Slowly combine all the ingredients together to make dough. If the dough is to dry add another egg yolk. Once the dough has formed, kneed the pasta on a lightly floured bench for five minutes. 

Cover the dough in cling film and rest for 20minutes. 

Time to make the rotolo filling: 

Spinach filling 
25g butter 
2 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped 
500g baby spinach leaves washed and dried 
375g ricotta 
1/2 bch marjoram picked from the stem 
1/2 whole nutmeg grated 
75g parmesan grated 
Salt and black pepper to taste 

Mushroom mix 
250g sliced field mushrooms 
25g dried porcini 
20g butter 
1 garlic clove 
Salt and pepper 

Rotolo Filling – Spinach 

Using a frypan on gentle heat melt the butter and fry the garlic until it becomes translucent, ensuring you do not brown the garlic. Add the spinach, cooking until it wilts, as we want the spinach looking vibrant green in colour. 

Remove from heat then stir in marjoram leaves. Empty the mix in a strainer to allow all the moisture to drain. Squeeze excess water out. Set aside to cool. 

Place ricotta in a large bowl and use a fork to break it up, until it becomes crumbly. Add the spinach, parmesan and grated nutmeg. Season generously with salt and pepper, gently mix till combined, then set aside. 

Rotolo Filling – Mushroom Mix 

Soak the porcini in boiling water for 20 minutes then drain reserving the soaking liquid. When drained wash under running water to remove any grit. 

On gentle heat melt butter in a pan and fry garlic as before (again ensure it is cooked only until it becomes translucent). Fry the field mushrooms for five minutes allowing them to colour. Add the porcini and the soaking liquid (take care not to use the end of the liquid as it may have grit from the mushrooms). Cook for a further 20 minutes on a low heat allowing the moisture to cook out. 

Roll the pasta dough through a pasta machine so that you have 2 thin sheets of pasta. Keep dusting with flour so they don’t stick together. The desired thickness should resemble a cotton sheet. 

Lay the sheets on a clean cloth or tea towel so they cover an area 45cm by 30cm. To join the sheets together brush edges with water. 

Spoon the spinach mix on the pasta approximately 1cm thick and spread to cover the entire sheet, leaving a 1cm boarder from the edge. Spread the mushroom mix in a line along one entire side of the sheet (this will become the centre of the roll). 

Brush the edges of the pasta with water (once rolled this will hold it together). 

Starting with the mushroom edge, roll the sheet over and over itself working away from you. Once you pull the towel upwards, the rest should roll automatically. 

When it is rolled into a thick sausage roll it in the tea towel as tight as possible, tie both ends with string (this holds the roll in shape). 

To cook, place the roll into boiling water for 20 minutes (a fish kettle or deep sided covered baking tray will work well). When it is cooked remove the roll by holding either end with tongs. 

250g butter
1 bunch of sage picked
100g cooked chestnuts 

Heat the butter in a pan add the sage and the chestnuts Cook until the sage is crisp and the chestnuts start to colour then remove from heat. 

Untie the tea towel, then unwrap the rotolo from the towel and cut in lengths approximately 3-4 cm, trimming off both ends. 

Dress with sage butter sauce, chestnuts and extra grated parmesan. 

Serve alongside tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil salad, warm olives and freshly baked foccacia. 

We had the pleasure of enjoying a lovely meal at Alio restaurant after our pasta class with Tracey Hughes (Ashley’s sister), where she shared wonderful stories about their farm and the day to day stories of running a successful restaurant. Happy 10th anniversary! 

There are two types of classes offered at Alio: hands on (4-5 hours) and demonstration (2-3 hours), with lunch concluding the class. If you are interested in attending, visit the Alio website or give Tracey a call for bookings. 

Alio Restaurant
5 Baptist Street, Surry Hills
Sydney, NSW
T 02 8394 9368 

Thank you to Wasamedia for arranging such a wonderful opportunity.

Ingredients

½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese (I purchased mine from Harris farm)
250g Birds Eye® chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 small pinch of ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 shallow bowl of flour for dusting

1 jar Barilla basilico tomato sauce (or any other of your favorite brands)

Directions
In a large bowl, mix ricotta, chopped spinach, cheese, egg and yolk.

After reaching a consistency similar to spinach dip, fold in nutmeg, salt, pepper, and flour.

Now we need to use this mixture to make our gnudi balls. 1 tablespoonful makes a good sized gnudi. I find it’s much easier to spoon the mixture into the shallow bowl with flour, and roll it around a few times before picking it up with your hands, otherwise it gets a little too sticky to work with. Gently roll the floured ball around in your palms to shake off any excess flour and shape them into spheres around 1.5 inches in diameter. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

While you’re making the gnudis, fill a pot with water and turn on a medium heat. Salt the water.

The most important thing is to leave the water boiling very gently. The gnudi is so delicate that a bubbling boil would tear it apart. Slowly lower the gnudi into the hot water with a spoon. You don’t have to cook them all at once, so just boil a few at a time.

After a few minutes, you’ll see them float to the top – this means they’re cooked and ready! Remove the gnudi using a slotted spoon, holding it just above the pot to drain off all the excess water before putting it on your serving dish.

While you are slowly cooking the gnudi, empty half a jar of tomato sauce into a small saucepan and start heating it up on a low heat, stirring occasionally.

Arrange gnudi on a platter and top with tomato sauce. Shave some extra Parmigiano Reggiano on top and watch it melt with the warm sauce.

This is one for the vegetarians out there – how can you not love it?

The Doltone House Group has just launched a brand new food emporium named Signorelli Gastronomia. The family owned and operated company has a significant portfolio of waterfront entertainment and catering venues, including Jones Bay Wharf and Darling Island Wharf. Signorelli Gastronomia is located on the lobby floor of the new Accenture building in Pyrmont on a lovely waterfront location, not too far from the Good Living Grower’s Markets (held every Saturday). Good living described the location to be similar to Harrod’s Food Hall in London, but I would say it’s a lot less commercial, with a familiar Italian family touch.

Wine room (left), Cheese room (right)

They described it to be a place where “visitors can buy, taste and learn about high quality food and drink… enjoy foods grown within a 100mile radius of Pyrmont that respects local farmers, maintaining a menu that is seasonal and diverse“. The space consists of a shop which stocks gourmet products such as cured meats, fresh pasta, premium gelato and dried herbs; a dining area that seats no more than 30, with mostly bar or communal table seating; a wine room and a cheese room. I appreciated the open layout of the place as we sat close to the pizza station, watching the chef kneading pizza dough on a floured marble bench.

Being day three of opening, there were the much expected service hiccups, but the staff were all incredibly friendly and the service was professional. With our sore heads from the previous night’s activities we were craving some hearty Italian food.

We ordered the ham hock and foie gras terrine served with watercress, baby carrots and toasted sourdough to start, which was delightfully flavoursome, and less rich than the usual chicken liver parfait served by other restaurants. The addition of the baby carrots inside the terrine was a nice touch (perhaps it made me feel healthier?).

A selection of fresh oysters (Pipe Clay, St Helens and Sydney Rock), some served with prosecco granita.

The aroma from the pizza station got the better of us. It was like our minds were read, and the waiter came around and offered us a sample of some freshly made garlic pizza that just came out of the wood fire oven while we were waiting for the next course.

For our mains, I opted for the tagliatelle that was on the specials (something that our waiter initially forgot to mention, but I had overheard the dish mentioned for the next table and changed my choice due to food envy). It was served with chorizo, dried chilli, ricotta and wilted sprouts. This is normally a little too oily for my liking, but it sure hit the spot.

My partner, equally fragile at the time, opted for the sage crumbed 250g veal cutlet with wild rocket, fresh lemon cheeks and capers, fried to perfection with a batter full of flavour.

And what better side dish than the duck fat fries with smoked sea salt? The smoked sea salt added a wonderful dimension, like it had been barbecued over wood chips. I’m sure the smoked sea salt can be purchased from their store. The chips however, I thought were too chunky to be enjoyed, unlike the version from Sean’s Kitchen.

The squid ink risotto, Hawkesbury cuttlefish and soft poached hen’s egg from the next table looked salivating, with the soft centered yolk oozing into the warm rice. One should always leave a reason for a second visit!

There was a great selection of desserts on the menu which I also thought should be saved for my second visit, so we ordered an Affogatto for a quick sugar and caffeine hit. Little did we know it was going to be so fun!

The affogatto was served in a mini copper pot

Instead of the usual liqueur poured in with the ice cream and espresso, the frangelico was encased in a jelly membrane which explodes in the mouth, made with a method of spherification a technique made famous by Ferran Adria.

My only complaint is that the ice cream melted much too quickly and it should have been pressed down and frozen with the copper pots.

James, the chef brought over a few additional “shots” of these jelly explosions that had a bit more kick to the ones inside the dessert. He informed us that they will be holding classes for this new and modern style of cooking later on, which could be quite fun.

Whist we were eating, we spotted a giant block of cheese with a diameter of a barrel that was being carefully divided for the cheese room, and it turned out to be Sovrano di bufala (aged buffalo milk cheese) – one of my favorites! I bought plenty to stock up and share with friends.

Signorelli Gastronomia proves to be a promising food emporium with authentic Italian cuisine and fantastic gourmet products, similar to the style of Fratelli Fresh and Bacco Wine bar.

Along with the grower’s markets, could Pyrmont be the next food hub?

Signorelli Gastronomia
48 Pirrama Road
Darling Island Wharf
Pyrmont NSW 2009
Tel: (02) 8571 0616
www.signorelli.com.au

We started off with some spuntini (snacks) – a warm bowl of marinated olives and my absolute favorite cheese from the formaggi selection. The stracchino was served with honey, dried figs, walnuts, sliced pear and toasted sourdough. Delightful.

STRACCHINO, OLIVE MARINATE

[left] Stracchino – Lombardia, cow’s milk, soft, creamy, mild. [right] Mixed olives marinated in extra virgin olive oil, citrus zests and herbs. Served warm or chilled.

For antipasti, I can never resist anything with truffle purée, so I opted for the deboned quail. The meat of the quail was cooked to perfection, the silky flesh against the rich dark truffle and port jus.

QUAGLIA RIPIENA AL TARTUFO

Deboned whole quail filled with a truffle purée, served with warm balsamic salad, saffron potatoes and port jus.

TERRINA DI MELANZANE

Layer of eggplants with parmesan and basil, served with crisp-fried zucchini flowers.

I should note that there was a good variety of vegetarian options on the menu. The eggplant terrine looked very impressive in presentation, but my friend did wish it was a warm dish as the eggplants were a little bland and flavourless. The smokiness that one usually gets with grilled eggplants did not shine through.

CAPRESE DI BUFALA

Classic caprese with Italian buffalo mozzarella and Roma tomatoes, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and herbs.

For our main courses:

RISOTTO CON SCAMPI

Risotto in scampi bisque with scampi meat, red wine braised, julienned radicchio and terragon. Garnished with whole steamed scampi.

This dish has a lot of potential, but I do realise that with the size restrictions of the kitchen, my risotto was lukewarm by the time it arrived on the table and it lacked the sticky texture that risotto brings when freshly stirred on the stove (I could tell from the condensation on the plate that it had been covered for a while). The flavours were perfect and I love the addition of julienned radicchio. I’m keen to go back and give it one more try.

TORTELLI DI ASPARAGI

Tortelli filled with asparagus purée and fresh ricotta, served with montasio fondue and oven roasted cherry tomato compote.

Another vegetarian option which was very nicely prepared with fresh green flavours and a perfectly al dente pasta shell.

“CARNI”

ANATRA DUE COTTURE

Slow-roasted, deboned duck leg rolled in prosciutto, served with roast duck breast, celeriac purée, sautéed asparagus and honey sauce.

The carnivores of our group thoroughly enjoyed this rich and flavoursome dish. Dark sauces with honey, garnished with currants, with duck and prosciutto – perfect with a big glass of Shiraz.

“DOLCI”

TORTINO AL CIOCCOLATO CALDO

Tortino filled with warm chocolate, served with berries and vanilla sauce. But wait for it… the warn gooey centre makes you weak at the knees every time.

TORTINO (centre)

and the classic:

TIRAMISU

Classic Italian tiramisu, garnished with a dried sugared grapefruit slice, deep fried mint leaf and fresh strawberries. What a perfect way to finish!

The wall lamps are clusters of amethyst grapes which I quite like.

Crystal wall lamp

Bacco Wine Bar
Shop 3
2 Chifley Sq
Sydney 2000 NSW

Phone: (02) 9223 9552

As always, I arrive on time, so I patiently wait for my friends with a Negroni Milanese (Martini Rosso, Campari, Prosecco) while tweeting on the iPhone. Pat Nourse corrects that the real name for this cocktail is actually called a Negroni Sbagliato, which is the ‘cooler name’. On a weekday night, I think this would be the perfect place to dine alone. The waitress thought that was the case until I was joined by two beautiful ladies 15 minutes later. Afterall, the risotto cooked to order is a group activity!

We started with Salt Cod and potato fritters with garlic mayo, mussels steamed with white wine, saffron and tomato (with a good serving of bread to soak up the fragrant sauce), and the grilled eggplant with scamorza (such an oozy soft melted cheese).

Grilled eggplant with scamorza and tomato $15

For the main, the three of us shared the risotto cooked to order for two, which was a squid ink risotto. The texture was rich, the squid was intense and flavoured with a strong scent of porcini mushrooms. Topped with lightly floured and fried squid, we were in risotto heaven, smiling with blackened lips. We tried to finish the generous serving, but couldn’t – I think it can easily serve four people because it was so rich.

Squid ink risotto & Rocket, grape and parmesan salad

The rocket salad, with a refreshing addition of seedless red grapes instead of the usual pear was also very well received and definitely making a return visit on my dining table at home.

For dessert we ordered the bombolini with Italian hot chocolate – which was a cross between a doughnut and a churro, dipped in thick hot chocolate. The strawberries and marsala also satisfied the sweet tooths.

Bombolini, Strawberries

Being one of the coldest nights in Sydney so far, everything we ate truly hit the spot like a warm hug. Many thanks to Dianna for the amazing photographs (and sorry to the people next to us who had to endure the flash!)

235 Victoria St
Darlinghurst 2010

Phone: (02) 9360 1011