Mark + Vinny's Spaghetti & Spritz, Surry Hills (17 April 2018)

G08, 38-52 Waterloo St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
http://markandvinnys.com
https://www.instagram.com/markandvinnys/

Spaghetti & Spritz Bar

Thanks to Pendulum Communications for the invite to a menu tasting. But first it's refreshments of The Pash Me Spritz - Vermouth bianco, passionfruit, prosecco, soda ($18)
and the classic Florence Spritz - Aperol, Prosecco, Fever Tree Soda ($16). Both enjoyed and there's plenty of other Spritz variations on the menu to tempt. Starters consisted of a few of vegan dishes. Cece - Chickpea hummus, farro, schiacciata ($14) was tasty and easy to share and the Caprese - Soy mozzarella, heirloom tomato, basil, lemon vinaigrette ($18) could probably fool a few like myself with its soy-based cheese. The Fiori di Zucca - Zucchini flower, smoked almond curd, romesco ($15, 2 pieces) had an excellent crispy batter and was one of my favourite dishes of the day. Back to something meaty was the Polpette - Adrian’s meat balls, slow cooked tomato sugo ($18, 3 pieces) that was good but comes at a price of $6 a meat ball so probably best not to expect to fill up on this dish alone.

Pushing the flavour boundary for a vegan pasta is the Charcoal Bucatini - Smoked mushroom pancetta, vegan egg yolk, plant based parmesan ($26). I enjoyed the richness and clever vegan egg yolk although it might take me a while to get used to the mild gritty texture of the charcoal in this dish. The Blue Spirulina Tagliatelle - Blue swimmer crab, bottarga, pangrattato ($34) had gutsy crab and bottarga flavour with plenty of garlic added for good measure. The eye-catching greenish blue colour is probably setting itself up to be one of their signature instagrammable dishes. Back to another vegan pasta the Zucchini Linguini (The Impasta) - Chickpea ragu, cherry tomato, slow cooked tomato sugo ($22) is gluten free and retains a pleasant crunch from the zucchini and crispy pop from some deep fried chick peas. Hard to go past the Vegan No-tella Ravioli - Cacao nibs, raspberry, coconut ice-cream ($18) for dessert. A flakier pastry is the only thing that could improve this for me. I didn't realise Nutella wasn't vegan so this housemade No-tella hits the spot as a vegan friendly substitute. Mark Filippelli, Vince Pizzinga and chef Adrian Januloski have certainly created quite a unique menu for Sydney diners and I like how there's a good selection of both vegan and non-vegan dishes which I think will suit a wider audience.

La Vucciria: Sicilian Wine Bar & Restaurant, Paddington (31 Aug 2011)

160 Flinders Street, Paddington NSW 2021
http://www.lavucciria.com.au

Nice place for an Aperitivo

“Inspired by the centuries old food market of Palermo of the same name, La Vucciria is the idea of young Sicilian chef Fabio Alacqua. Joining him is Brad Dickson, a passionate wine expert and former winemaker, sommelier and distributor hailing from Perth”

Thanks to Stephanie Epiro from La Vucciria for inviting me to dine as a guest of the Wine Bar & Restaurant which takes over of the former site of the Flinders Inn. You might notice orange door has been painted red and you can actually see inside now from the street, which I think makes it much more inviting and open. Arriving at 6.30 pm was fortunately just in time to sample the Aperitivo which includes a complimentary tasting plate with your drink. Served between 5.30 and 7 pm every day it’s probably one of the best reasons alone to visit. Everything on the plate was good and the improvised Mocktail with fresh strawberry and juices ($12) and traditional Spritz of Aperol and Prosecco ($12) were both done well. It’s evident the down-to-earth and humble chef Fabio Alacqua is passionate about producing dishes that are seasonal and cooked with heart. The Crispy calamari zucchini ($15) had a decent crisp batter and the zucchini added something different to the dish that seemed to work well. The Gratin scallops ($15) were tasty and would work well as a casual bar snack with a glass of 2009 Torre Solaria Nero D'Avola, Sicily ($9).

The Eggplant involtini ($13) were nicely presented although for me were a little light on taste and I wouldn’t have minded a bit more depth of flavour perhaps. The Meatballs lemon leaves ($13) were infused with good flavour although be sure not to try and eat the surrounding lemon leaves, they’re not particularly edible as I soon found out. For a comforting dish the Gnocchi Di Ricotta Alla Norma ($19) will probably suit and the Spaghetti al Coroccio ($24) comes with a surprising amount of seafood although the mussels ended up being a bit shrivelled up and small after cooking — a few large plump ones would have been preferred. The last time I ate a dish out of a bag was at North Bondi Italian Food and although it may be a nice way to cook something it’s still not a particularly graceful way to eat something out of at the table. I think serving up on a plate would be my preference.

I was thinking the Eolian salad tomato olives cucumber ($8) might have been something a bit different and special but actually ended up being just like a Greek salad without the feta. The ingredients were fresh though. For dessert the Strawberry tiramisu ($10) was something a bit different that had nice flavours that balanced well — more alcohol is always welcome though. The Sgroppino ($10) was refreshing and combined lemon sorbet with a bit of vodka. It made for a very nice palate cleanser after dinner. The décor and lighting was quite homely with lots of interesting details to spot around the room. Look out for the hanging chilli near the kitchen which apparently is for good luck. The toilets are still the same which is a good thing ie nice, except for being outside. If there was one thing that I’d love to change about the place it would be the table supports. It’s probably just me but if I can’t sit my feet squarely flat in front of me I always seem to find it a bit awkward and uncomfortable. I think it might be different for ladies who tend to cross their legs and feet though.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice décor and atmosphere, Good quality dishes using seasonal produce, Aperitivo free tasting plate before 7 pm when you order a drink, Nice toilet (but located externally), Knowledgeable service

CONS: I found the table supports in the way of sitting comfortably (but that could be just me), The dining room window looks out onto a busy street where a bus load of people will be looking in on you (but you get to look out at them too), Street parking can be limited and the restaurant is located a bit off the beaten track

MUST TRY: Aperitivo between 5-7 pm for free tasting plate with your drink

WORTH TRYING: Spritz of Aperol and Prosecco, Crispy calamari zucchini, Gratin scallops, Strawberry tiramisu for something different

—

Mocktail with fresh strawberry and juices ($12), Spritz - Aperol and Prosecco ($12)

Aperitivo tasting plate - complimentary between 5.30-7 pm with your drink purchase

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

2009 Torre Solaria Nero D'Avola, Sicily ($9)

Bread and bread sticks

Crispy calamari zucchini ($15)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Gratin scallops ($15)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Eggplant involtini ($13)

Meatballs lemon leaves ($13) — don't try and eat the lemon leaves

Gnocchi Di Ricotta Alla Norma ($19)

Spaghetti al Coroccio ($24)

Eolian salad tomato olives cucumber ($8) — like a Greek salad without the feta

Strawberry tiramisu ($10)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Sgroppino ($10) — a good palate cleanser

Chef Fabio Alacqua

Seating with a view

Reference to Raya Panarea — looks like a nice place

Flower pot people

A bit of morocco

I'm getting a Mexican feel from the gun and cactus together

Vibrant decor colours

Old Sicilian papers

Awkward position of table supports for my feet

In the toilet — great wall tiles

View Larger Map