Pompei’s

For years Pompei’s was considered the place to grab an authentic gelati in Sydney. Whilst a plethora of new guns have popped up in Bondi: notably an on-rush of speakeasys, beach-side bars and a new Miss Chu canteen, Pompei’s is still as busy as ever.

Spritz: Aperol, prosecco and soda $11

We’ve made a booking and arrived at this North Italian restaurant to be ushered to our table. It’s a cramped spot even for three girls and we awkwardly mid-sit side-step into the cranny (lots of table and chair shuffling were required) and mini-hop our chairs right up to the table edge. Our contortion activity for the day now over, we turn to the menu: a traditional mix of pizzas, pastas and vegetables with a curt page of veal and beef for the hard core carnivores.

Schiacciata Rustica: homade rustic bread with garlic and fresh herbs $7.50 + Flat white $4

We go for the Schiacciata Rustica, a light disc of warm bread studded with herbs and garlic. It’s pleasing but a little under-seasoned. The ravioli is delectable, large crescents of spinach and cheese sliding through a rich butter sauce. We were given a choice of tomato or butter but the waitress tells us the butter is easily her favourite so we go with her recommendation and offset it with an order of steamed organic vegetables which turned out to be rather pedestrian.

Ravioli di Magro alla Tirolese: handmade ravioli filled with baby spinach, parmigiano, ricotta and nutmeg in butter sauce (tomato sauce alternative available) $17.50

Lastly was the smoked proscuitto and mushroom pizza on a airy crisp base: a classic combination has been given an element of uniqueness with the use of smoked proscuitto and earthy sauteed porcini.

Verdure Biologiche: steamed organic vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper $12.90
Speck e funghi trifolati: smoked proscuito scented with juniper berries and herbs, mixed sauteed mushrooms including porcini, fior di latte mozzarella, tomato sauce $24

Although we’ve been looking forward to digging into the gelati, we’re stuffed and already running late for a gig. We promise to return afterwards but as the gelati window closes at 11, we managed to miss this too.

As stalwarts go, Pompei will easily be around for us next year or next decade, so there’s no hurry for when we return for that promised scoop.

The Verdict
I didn’t realise until writing up this post that Pompei’s was meant to be a North Italian restaurant, and in reflection I didn’t spot a heavy featuring of meat, polenta or ravioli in the menu. Perhaps it’s a little at odds to be serving such hearty fare to a tanned beach-going, health conscious clientele. Regardless, at the end of the day Pompei’s serves simple Italian food done well. There’s not much more to enduring success then that.

Pompei’s 
a. 126-130 Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach
t. 9365 1233
w. www.pompeis.com.au

Caffé Sicilia

I remember the first time I spotted Caffé Sicilia and it’s not what you think.

I was flicking through a fashion editorial when I spotted the models leaning against the most beautiful black and white marbled bar, laden with fruit and rows of gold rim glasses whilst a couple of wisened chefs bustled in the background. It seemed intoxicatingly Italian with all the classic European stylings you’d expect: gold window lettering, black and white tiles, crisp white linen, marbled table tops, pressed steel ceilings, hanging lights and wooden wall paneling.

Complimentary marinated olives

Even in real life I’m entirely enamored with the fit out and as we sit down in the alfreso area and nibble on the complimentary olives, my eyes kept darting between the locals power walking past and the bakery station & bar area within.

Complimentary bread rolls + Warm 3 milks cheese: warm parcel of “3 milks” cheese dressed with truffle honey & walnuts (Normally $22)

A basket of round dinner rolls appeared, tucked snugly within the folds of a napkin; they were baked on site and surprisingly delightful, a nice change from the sourdough infatuation Sydney restaurants seem to have. The cheese parcel turned out to be one large wheel and whilst it was quite moreish, we struggled to finish.

Crudo of Tuna: yellow fin tuna dressed with lemon segments, Sicilian caper berries
& extra virgin olive oil (Normally $15)

‘Crudo’ is a simple Italian dish of raw fish, oil, salt and citrus, inspired by the fresh seafood caught from the Mediterranean.

Homemade Gnocchi Bug Meat:cooked with fresh Balmain bug meat, cherry tomato &
balanced with a hint of chilli & garlic (Normally $15)

Cathy’s entrée was light and simple so it was with great surprise when I was presented with mine. I had been looking forward to trying the new gnocchi and bug meat dish; I had envisaged it to be quite small and light so I was shocked when presented with a plated mound of red, white and green (how apt). This turned out to be my favourite dish of the night: the bite sized portions of Balmain bug and tumble of pillowy soft gnocchi stirred through with tomato and chilli was comfort on a plate and an entirely satisfying meal in itself.

Sweet & Sour Sicilian Rabbit slow cooked farmed rabbit poached with pine nuts and sultanas in a white wine & vinaigrette sauce (Normally $24)

Whilst the prospect of rabbit was intriguing I found this rustic dish to be too Wintry an affair for Summer dining.

Snapper “Acqua Pazza” with mussels, vongole & king prawns poached in a white wine, cherry tomato & parsley reduction (Normally $27)

Reverse meal size envy struck again when this time I was presented with my Snapper “Acqua Pazza”. The classic dish of fish in broth was presented on a mammoth platter with a generous wreath of shellfish surrounding the Snapper fillet.

Curiously, the menu at Caffe Sicilia stops at second course and despite being full I was lamenting not being able to finish off our meal on a sweet note. I needn’t have worried though, as we were soon presented with two small glasses of strawberry and pistachio Sicilian granita.

Complimentary Sicilian granita + Complimentary take away pastries

The texture of these little gems were more akin to gelati which was probably tailored to suite Sydney-siders’ tastes since Sicilians – the original inventors of granita – would protest that the ice should be much coarser though no one on our table was complaining (too busy scraping the glasses clean).

I saw a few tables gifted small parcels as they left and when we received ours we tore open a corner to peek inside and find two house made pastries awaiting to be devoured the next morning.

As I surely felt my stomach starting to high-five the bottom of my lung our waiter approached once again, this time with a cannoli and a moment later returned with a cheeky smile and an additional surprise: a bottle of home-made orange limoncello.

Ricotta Cannoli

Perhaps rather ironically I underestimated the generosity of the Sicilians and was quite surprised at how liberal the servings turned out to be. In truth I was a little saddened that all the waiters had lost their beautifully tailored white dinner jackets in favour of a more relaxed look, but luckily none had lost that cheeky Italian humour.

The Verdict
CafféSicilia prevails in many ways to become a little slice of the old world planted anew on Crown street. The menu features a lot of traditional dishes as well as classic Sicilian fare, although the kitchen may still be trying to find its Sydney connection. The pastry station here produces some fantastic baked treats so if you’ve ever rushed past, take a moment to sit down for an espresso and ricotta baked doughnut or do as the Sicilians do and have an almond granita to go with your morning brioche.

Food in hand dined as a guest of Caffe Sicilia.

Caffé Sicilia
a. 628 Crown Street Surry Hills
t. 9699 8787
e. info@caffesicilia.com.au
w. http://www.caffesicilia.com.au

Cafe Sopra

Walsh bay is a slick glass & sandstone version of residential Sydney: a patchwork of locals, tourists, apartments, commercial studios, old heritage buildings and wharves – all existing under an inescapable view of the Harbour Bridge. Once the clock hand ticks over to pre-theatre hour though, it morphs mid kick Matrix style into an every-woman-and-man-for-themselve frenzy as each group tries to play a suburban-sized game of musical chairs to get a table and down their food competition-style, before the prosaic 8:30 call of the loudspeakers draw the punters to their flip seats.

Cafe Sopra, the prodigy nestled within the Italian produce laden Fratelli Fresh’s walls is a clear local favourite and the first to fill up. Although dinner service starts at 6, try not to arrive a heart beat past 5:59 or else you’re likely to be the head of a long queue waiting for a table at this one Hat chain.

Italian Sour $12.50

We arrive in time to get one of the few remaining tables and it takes a moment to flag down a waitress zooming past. We start with a couple of classic apéritifs and then quickly over-order off their giant blackboard menu.

Chicken Liver Paté with cucumber, green bean and toasted Ciabatta $20
+ Campari & Blood orange $9.50

First is the chicken liver pate, a blushing pink served with a refreshing mound of onions, beans and cornichons. I’ve never had such a bright pate and Cathy informs us it’s a sign of freshness since pate browns as it oxidizes.

White Anchovy Panzanella $20

The simplicity of the Florentine salad go down well with the soft hits of anchovy, my only wish was for more pane in the panzanella.

Mussel Fusilli Insalata with eschallot, avocado, cucumber & tomato $20

Normally ‘special’ dishes denotes something imaginative or super fresh and punchy so I was drawn to the prospect of the quirky combo of mussels and avocado. Unfortunately the insalata was a wallflower: a few shreds of this and that tumble through a large mound of pasta that seemed to disappear within itself.

Meatballs with fresh tomato sauce and Tagliattelle $22

I’ve read about grown men crying at Sopra when they realise the meatballs have sold out, so it was best we secured a plate for ourselves and see what a heart-breaker three balls of meat could be. The meatballs were huge, topped off with a small grating of Parmesan; as we cut into each one I was in love with the fluffy texture bathed in a slight tartness from the fresh tomato sauce.

Whole baked Trout with Mint and Marjoram

As good as the meatballs were, the trout was the queen of the night. The rosy meat slid off the bones easily and each bite was a comforting mouthful of soft flesh, lemon, mint and marjoram.

Since over-ordering and ambitious eating has been our forte we decided to be consistent through the last legs of the meal; we couldn’t decide which dessert to have so egged on by the waitress, we just ordered both.

Chocolate Cannoli with honeycomb and fresh Mango $14.50

Two fingers of cannoli arrived with honeycomb filling and a tussle of mango cubes. It was a pleasant combination of flavours but we were disappointed the filling was only pipped halfway through and the cannoli having lost a little of its crispness by the time it arrived on our table.

Bluberry swirl Semifreddo with Minted sugar $14.50

Last to arrive was my semifreddo. My first and only was a smooth block of almond cream sandwiched between two wafers in Verona so this was something I wanted to relive again! The blueberries and mint here worked off each other’s sweetness but I found the water content in the blueberry swirl meant the texture became icy and a little grainy.

The Verdict
Exuding all the rustic, seasonal charm ladies decked in big earrings, felt scarves and resin bangles love: everything at Sopra is about classic Italian done with fresh local produce. It’s been an effective business plan and if their SMH Hat and latest opening on Bridge street is any indication, one which can’t keep up with ravenous demand. I’ve been to the Walsh Bay eatery twice (and failed to gain entry twice) and would say each meal has its hits and misses although I’m unsure if this is a sign of bad ordering or perhaps a personal inability to appreciate certain flavours. Regardless, the well-oiled machine has been pumping out winners close to a decade and I’m sure you’ll be able to find another gem between the aisles.

Cafe Sopra at Fratelli Fresh Walsh Bay
a. Shop 8, 16 Hickson Road Dawes Point
t. 8243 2700
w. www.fratellifresh.com.au