Restaurant Review - Soffritto

Soffritto
367 King St
Newtown, Sydney


You'd be forgiven for walking past this place on numerous occasions if you frequent Newtown. From the street, Soffritto perhaps looks like the dull "nice" place amongst the exciting multicultural delights that this bustling suburb has to offer - the shiny gem amongst the worn out, tried and true open kitchen Thai restaurants that line the graffitied, grungy streets. Fortunately for us, on a hot summer night after battling the traffic heading to the Bon Jovi concert, "nice" is exactly what we need to escape and relax over good food and good conversation.

The menu is small and considered - five entrees, four mains and three desserts, and the available selection makes the $49 Three Course offer an easy choice  We make a vague effort to order different dishes so that we could sample as much of the menu as possible - and we are more than glad that we did. We crack open a bottle of smooth red, and settle in for the evening.

With duck very quickly catching up to lamb as my favourite meat, I opt for the duck, balsamic and sage filled tortellini and it's not long before I become reluctant to share the dish around - very light for a pasta dish with wonderful flavours that made me wish it was a main. The truffled potato gnocchi with parmesan is velvety smooth and left the table in awe - heartiness at it's best through the perfection of a simple idea.

Duck Tortellini

 
The mains are just as equally delightful - the homely pumpkin, gorganzola and pine nut risotto true to a classic combination, the wild barramundi melts in our mouths and the pancetta wrapped beef draws pleasantries from all.

As the night progresses people do in fact poke their head in to see if there is a table but all are politely turned away. Most are older couples that I suspect chose Newtown as a place to eat without thinking too far ahead, but have decided that date night should be more than just Pad Thai and gelato. And the hoardes of Newtown hipsters that swagger by without a glance provide entertaining people watching opportunities (it is their swagger that makes them hip, right?).


By the time dessert comes, we are all wishing we opted for the salad entree, but somehow manage to find valuable stomach space to feed the sweet spot. The warm chocolate pudding with strawberries, poached pear and caramel crepe are all rich and sweet, and leave endorphins racing through our bodies. A happy end to a satisfying meal. The hardest thing is lifting ourselves off our seats to embark on an evening of adventures that we fear will taint what has been a perfect evening.

Warm Chocolate Pudding

The food is good, the staff are friendly, and the night is not rushed. Put it on your list!

Restaurant Review - Bar Italia

Bar Italia
169 Norton Street
Leichhardt, Sydney

Nestled in the heart of Sydney's 'Little Italy' on Norton Street, Leichhardt, this bustling little Italian cafe come restaurant come gelato bar is not what you might come to expect from one of the oldest eateries on this famous strip. Plastic chairs, outdated furnishings, faded posters of Italian gangster films, and a deceptively large number of tables (it can seat 200 plus people!) make for a culinary experience that is full of surprises (which, if you go in with an open mind about it all, are usually on the good end of the scale).

If you arrive at Bar Italia and aren't first greeted by a queue to get in (which is most weekends or holidays), you'll encounter large blackboard menus which are largely ignored by the regulars that already know what they want, and a couple of signs that give a fair indication about what this place is all about - "No soy, no skim, no light milk" and "No credit, no EFTPOS". These guys have a system, and they stick to it - no exceptions.

You order and pay at the counter. You take your own water. You deliver your own coffee. You also need to find your own seat, and with no table numbers or no staff to direct you to a table, you may want to take some Valium to ease the anxiety surrounding the delivery of your food. Fortunately though, the anxiety lasts only temporarily, because every time, without fail, the food arrives unscathed. And quickly. Often too quickly in fact - if you dawdle too much you may collide with your order at the kitchen door (which you will have to walk past to find a seat up the back). And you certainly should not have any expectations about what constitutes an entree or a main. The food comes out whenever and however they want it to - and that's the way it is. Soup-Nazi much?

Fortunately what Bar Italia lacks in service, it makes up for in food. Big servings of delicious, hot pasta that are full of home made flavour - I can recommend any of the classics - they always satisfy an empty stomach and warm the heart. And it's cheap. Less than $15 will get you a meal that you'll be feeling good about for a long time. But make sure you leave room for dessert - if the line (which is often longer than that for the hot food) doesn't convince you, maybe the awards and accolades will (it has been voted the best gelato in Australia on numerous occasions). Again, the servings are big, and the flavours are full. Try the tiramisu and the pistachio.


I was first introduced to Bar Italia by an ex-girlfriend that lived about a 5 minute walk away. It was her local, the reliable stayer that always satisfied regardless of the circumstances. Not really a date place, but perfect, casual dining. We joked after we broke up that I wouldn't be able to go back there because it was her place. Don't tell her I've been back many times - there's good reason for me to think she was serious when she said she wanted it to herself!