So, first of all, count me completely charmed by this experience: we rock up on a Tuesday night for our anniversary dinner, and don’t have reservations. They managed to find a table for us, but not before Vinny welcomes us with an introduction and a handshake. To have the owner of the place welcome us, simply, kindly and with warmth, impressed me greatly.
Then, what they’ve created! I’ve lived in Surry Hills for years, so the spot between Orto and Izakaya Fujiyama has always struggled. It seemed to be one of those cursed restaurant spots. And I can see the problem, in that it’s not very spacious, and was a little hot and cramped inside. It would have been much nicer outside. But Mark and Vinny have turned this spot around: it’s been busy every time I’ve gone by.
And why wouldn’t it be? The list of cocktails and spritzes is enticing (and our cocktails were very tasty), the design is fun and stylish, and most of all, the food is bloody delicious.
We started with an order of meatballs, which were pretty much perfect. As was the burrata, with peppers and onions, looking so pretty.
We split two pasta mains, a delicious ragu, and one of the daily specials, a mafalda with grilled zucchini. It was so simply done, with not a lot of sauce or extras, that made me really notice the beauty of fresh, handmade pasta (and I loved the frilly edges). Didn’t have room for dessert, but perhaps next time: this is a place to come back to.
