Fratelli Fresh: Parlamento & Cafe Sopra on Macquarie St, Sydney (22 Jan 2014)

229-231 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.fratellifresh.com.au

Ciao Fratelli Fresh

Wow, I can't believe the Nippon Club has gone or International Nippon Australia New Zealand Club to be more exact. I thought that place was going to be around forever. Fratelli Fresh is a pretty good replacement though. I had a quick walk around and it's looking great downstairs with dim lighting, lots of seating, open kitchen you can sit and watch chefs at work and leathery comfy looking seats. Menu seems to be the same as other locations. A great dining addition to the Macquarie St area and one I'm sure will do very well. It definitely has changed a lot. I wasn't allowed to take any photos so I've included a few photos of what the Nippon Club looked like to remember it by.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Lots of yummy Italian food to be discovered

CONS: So long Nippon Club

MUST TRY: Returning and sitting at the kitchen counter

VERDICT: Many will be sad about the Nippon Club being no longer but I'm sure many will equally welcome Fratelli Fresh

—

RIP Nippon Club

View Larger Map

Fratelli Fresh: Italian Ristorante, Mercato & Bar now open on Bridge Street, CBD Sydney (17 Nov 2011)

11 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.fratellifresh.com.au

Underground Italian hideaway

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better than Jamie's Italian arriving in the CBD along comes Fratelli Fresh on Bridge Street. Italian is certainly flavour of the month and I'm looking forward to trying Cafe Sopra and the Pizzeria when I get a chance to return — hopefully soon before it's impossible to get a seat. I'm hoping it'll be just as good as the other locations, it should be. Humble, well-flavoured dishes that satisfy at a reasonable price. I think Jamie's Italian now has some real competition close by to give it a run for its money and customers perhaps although they possibly still don't take reservations like their other restaurants which is alway a bugger. It's great to have quality produce and products available on the shelves so there's a real alternative to your general supermarkets when you're after some tasty groceries on the way home. If you're up for a cheeky lunch time drink or after work aperitif then the underground Mozzarella Bar looks perfectly suited.

Open Monday – Friday

Mercato: 10 am – 7 pm

Ristorante: 12 pm – 3 pm and 6 pm – 10 pm

Bar, Pizzeria, Mozzarella Bar: 12 pm – 10 pm

Entrance and opening hours

Entrance way

Cafe Sopra seating

Cafe Sopra kitchen

Pizzeria kitchen and seating

Private dining area

Fratelli Fresh product shelves

Entrance underneath Steersons and next to Moran Health Care Group


View Larger Map

Cafe Sopra at Fratelli Fresh: Italian, Waterloo (12 Sept 2009)

7 Danks Street, Waterloo NSW 2017
http://www.fratellifresh.com.au

All things Italian

I think the Buffalo Mozzarella with Truss Tomatoes at Cafe Sopra is probably one of the most Italian dishes I've ever seen — it's basically the Italian flag colours beautifully stacked. When I ordered it I thought it would be quite a boring salad ie how good can cheese and tomato be right, but everything tasted so fresh and it was substantial enough in size to share. When I first visited Cafe Sopra I saw another table order the Arancini which were stacked up like a pyramid and thought to myself, now that would make a cool food photo — unfortunately my dish was served flat today but nevertheless they were bite sized pieces of tastiness. The affogato was a hit again and I think will be a must have each time I visit. The glasses of Italian house wine were very reasonable at only $3.50 each and pleasant on the palate — I'm assuming they were low alcohol wines.

On my last blog post I received a comment that highly recommended me to try the Banoffie Pie. Cafe Sopra seem to spell as 'Banoffie' although most people I think spell it as 'Banoffee' — did you know it's an abbreviation of Banana and Toffee, I actually didn't know this at the time. The well presented large slice of cake looked great and I noticed the fresh slices of banana throughout the cream topping. Such a simple idea of ingredients which seems to work together so well. Unfortunately the base of the cake was definitely too hard, probably due to the crust and cake being refrigerated, so trying to cut pieces with a spoon was embarassingly loud when the spoon kept hitting the plate when it broke through — I felt like I needed a steak knife to cut the base. It was very much like the moment when Masterchef judges were sampling the Adriano Zumbo Chocolate Mousse Cake prepared by Julie in the pressure test challenge. I'm assuming it's not actually supposed to be that hard to slice?

Other visits to Cafe Sopra:

• 12 Sept 2009 - Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato, Arancini, Affogato, Banoffie Pie.

• 22 Aug 2009 - Osso Buco, Frittata, Roast Pork Panini, Vitello Tonnato, Witof Salad, Hot Chips, Affogato, Coffee.

Buffalo mozzarella with truss tomatoes $18

Arancini with Taleggio, olives and salad cream $18

Affogato $6.50

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Banoffie Pie

Banoffie Pie $12.50

Side shot

Close shot

Base shot

Rosso Sangiovese, Bianco Trebbiano $3.50 each

Revisited 7 April 2012

Campari and fresh orange juice ($10.45) — a good 'Hair of the Dog' starter

Pancakes with lemon curd and strawberries ($15.95) — nice flavours and lemon curd inside works well in the dish

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Almond & Maple Granola with Rockmelon and yoghurt ($15.95) — crunchy and toasty

Crispy bacon ($9.35) — could perhaps be even crispier but was tasty and not too salty

Frittata with goats curd and basil ($15.95) — nice flavours, toast maybe a little hard to cut, would prefer thicker style as well

Torte banoffee ($15.95) — nice flavours but crumble base too thick and hard to cut through with spoon, would prefer a much thinner base

Video of attempts to eat banoffee with a spoon

Affogato ($7.15) — good flavour but would prefer more ice cream

Seating at 9.30 am on a long weekend Easter Saturday

View Larger Map

Cafe Sopra: Italian Eatery at Fratelli Fresh, Waterloo (22 August 2009)

7 Danks Street, Waterloo NSW 2017
http://www.fratellifresh.com.au

Best Café: TimeOut Sydney 2009

I've known of this place for ages above Fratelli Fresh but have never made the time to visit — now that I have I wish I had made more of an effort. I always presumed it was quite expensive which might have been one of the reasons why I didn't bother checking it out but the prices are quite reasonable for the amazing food quality and taste. You can't book and they won't seat you until all your friends have arrived which is a bummer if some people arrive late. After trying the delicious food I can now see why it's so popular and why it was voted Best Café for 2009 by TimeOut Sydney.

I ordered the Osso Buco which was great — meat was tender and the dish was very tasty. It's more of a winter warmer meal but I wanted to see how this Italian eatery cooked this Italian classic so I can compare it to any others I might have in the future. My food loving friends who organised the meet up today said the Affogato was a must have and they were right — a great way to finish off a very yummy lunch. We all enjoyed our dishes and I look forward to trying more of the dishes — I don't think you can go wrong with whatever you order.

Other visits to Cafe Sopra:

• 12 Sept 2009 - Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato, Arancini, Affogato, Banoffie Pie.

• 22 Aug 2009 - Osso Buco, Frittata, Roast Pork Panini, Vitello Tonnato, Witof Salad, Hot Chips, Affogato, Coffee.

Osso buco in Bianco with rigatoni and gremolata $20

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Frittata with goats cheese and chervil $14.50

Panini with roast pork, dijon mustard and plum chutney $10.50

Vitello Tonnato $18

Smoked trout fishcake with soft boiled egg and capper mayo $18

Witlof salad with pear, gorgonzola and toasted walnuts $18

Side of mushrooms $7.50

Hot Chips $7.50

Affogato $6.50

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Cappuccino

Menu board which apparently changes regularly

View Larger Map