FoodieChat

I really wish someone would breed a pork species which had a fat free pork belly.  Because it’s a weakness of mine - crunch crackling atop layers of soft stringy white meat interspersed with smooth fat.  Alas. Pork belly makes my belly porky too.  And so it is reserved only for auspicious occasions.  Well there wasn’t really one this time, but a girly cooking session.  I dragged out a recipe from my Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine.  (more…)

I first came across this italian eatery and delicatessen when we held a function at the Waterside, Homebush Bay, and someone came in with these amazing woodfired pizzas.  Crispy thin base, and with topped with fresh ingredients to savour the base and not piled one inch high like some pizza joints these days.   So on another sunny birthday day off (why do they only come once a year?), we set out to find this pizza again.  It’s actually in a little piazza hidden away between the apartment blocks - I’m sure the locals would like to keep their secret to themselves!  I’m torn - do I shop first, or eat first??  Well stomach won as usual, and we sat ourselves at one of the tables on the street - strangely enough, all enclosed in a plastic awning despite being a gorgeous day.

I had to have a taste of the pizza again - from a plate not a takeaway box, and it did not disappoint.   For lunch, there is only a limited specials menu, and I selected the salamari, olive and chilli pizza ($15).  Just enough for one person - the base was as crispy as I remembered - not merely the vessel for a mountain of topping, but as much as star as the toppings itself - which complemented it, not over powered it, the real way it’s meant to be done.  None of the processed plastic cheese either - real slices of mozarella melted into the fresh tomato base, and scattered with just enough salty salamari and torn olives.   The review on Sydney Morning Herald recommended the calamari fritti ($16) which my friend ordered - and I reluctantly swapped a slice of my pizza to try.  It wasn’t the oily greasy rubber bands that I expected (who am I to disagree with Simon Thomsen!)- but the flash fried, and ever so slightly battered rings were much lighter than most versions, and served with chips and salad.

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Very pleasantly surprised at the Italian offering from the Nick’s group (Nick’s Seafood/Bar and Grill/Bondi Beach/I’m Angus).  I’m a fan of I’m Angus but wondered what steak and italian had in common!  Well I thought I should make my way through the chain… At the quieter end of King Street Wharf, it’s a cosy waterside location, with wooden decor and open kitchen - centered around the wood fired oven.  Out of which come some pretty amazing pizzas - thin and crispy base, with fluffy bubbled crunchy but still with bite crust.  The Capricciosa ($23) would make a nonna proud with not too much topping of smoked ham, mushrooms, tomatoes, artichokes and scattered with olives 

My sister raves about its version of the vegetarian lasagna ($24). It could fool any carnivore - tuck into it and see if you can finish the rich slab of layered zuchchini, spinach, mushroom, eggplant and cheese, lovingly adorned with shaved parmesan and fresh parsley.  Not over powering, but nevertheless an efforto finish it all due to the sheer size of the thing!  Other pastas include carbonara ($24), ragtoni with salami, capsicum, asparagus, walnuts and gorgonzola ($25), and risottos ($34) of chicken and mushroom (below) or seafood.

We also tried the fettucine ai Gamberi - fresh king prawns, garlic, basil and chilli in tomato sauce ($29.50). The prawns were unreal - plump and fresh, and plenty of them - although personally I prefer thinner fettucine. Again - huge serving and couldn’t finish… the sauce was satisfying and not too brothy but not too thick either.  Strange pricing structure though where seafood pastas cost only little more than non-seafood ones!

The seafood platter for two ($85) wowed everyone - an impressive crustacean tower comprising wood fired scampi, balmain bugs and king prawns, sitting on a bed of tasty marinated octopus, mussels and vongole done in garlic, chilli and olive oil.  We LOVED the variation on bread - crispy garlicky garlic naan to scare the vampires away.  I would have loved some chips with this, but oh well - as if there wasn’t enough carbs in the pasta/pizza!  Dad didn’t find the seafood that fresh though - maybe because we went on a monday night - or was it Friday that you’re not meant to have seafood??  (more…)

I finally got to try this Sydney icon Italian Restaurant idyllically located a stone’s throw from Russell Crowe’s apartment on Cowper Wharf Road (a.k.a. the finger wharf) in Woolloomooloo (bonus points if you can spell it without looking!).  It’s a Sydney institution and a highly sought after booking - evidenced by the hoards of good looking people dining there at the same time as us.   (Former) owner Alan Jones cruised in halfway through our meal somewhat unnoticed - I’m afraid he’s going to take a back seat to the food.  I had the scallops for my entree - four plump scallops, seared and served on a bed of white asparagus puree, with fennel and blood oranges scattered across, drizzled with a Campari and blood orange dressing.  The wagyu carpaccio with truffle dressing, baby capers and rocket looked a work of art too good to eat - wafer thin slicse of tender beef spread over the plate with maximum visual appeal. 

I have learned my lesson not to do entree and main with pasta as my entree, so I had an entree sized pasta as my main in order to fit in dessert. Again my favourite scallops spaghettini, spanner crab meat, lemon in a sauce of shellfish tomato brodo.  Personally I would have preferred a sauce that was either more saucy or more dressing like. This was in between like a broth, which certainly was tasty though!  I didn’t try the duck breast stuffed with apple, walnuts and wrapped in proscuitto came also with the leg - fall off the bone meat, in a rich jus on a bed of sauteed red cabbage.

I can’t decide what was the highlight - my entree or my dessert!  I couldn’t go past the warm Valrohna chocolate pudding with honey comb ice cream - a cakey crust that oozed the liquid gold - into the other gold - the shards of honeycomb and the (slightly melted) scoop of honey comb ice cream - amazing. Not good for the diet, cholesterol, blood sugar or any other health indicator!

The rustic looking rhubarb crumble tart was served on its own with your waiter dramatically drizzling the syrup on top to finish - well neither of us could finish our desserts due to their huge servings, but contentedly sat back to enjoy the people watching which comes for free.

 Otto Ristorante, Area 8, 6 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo

www.otto.net.au