Totti's Bondi, Sydney

I knew I had to visit Totti’s after reading so many food blogs and raving reviews months prior to our visit. You can’t go wrong with restaurants under the Merivale group but what’s even more awesome is that this restaurant is run by celebrated chef Mike Eggert (ex Pinbone co-onwer). We finally made reservations and went on my birthday week.

The place had a very coastal vibe and some Italian influence in the interior. I mean, the menu is highly Italian inspired after all! We had amazing dishes from woodfire bread reminiscent of a Neopolitan pizza base to a massive umami-packed rib eye steak. Check out what I got up to in the video below. Enjoy!

Totti's Bondi

Bella Brutta, Newtown

Hype, like with anything can be a double edge sword. It could make or break a place. There’s been so much hype around Bella Brutta since it opened in Newtown back in 2018.

I’ve heard nothing but praises from bloggers, food writers and everyone else in the Sydney social media community about their pizzas and other Italian influenced offerings on their menu. This is expected from a brainchild of Luke Powell and Porteño dudes Joseph Valore and Elvis Abrahanowicz. Chocolatesuze and I visited them few months ago and I can confirm, believe the hype! It lived up to my expectations.

The cheese fritti with hot sauce ($4 each) is deep fried golden goats and Parmesan cheese with woodfired green pepper salsa. The crisped cheese balls had an amazing molten soft cheesy centre and the salsa complimented the balls with a kick of smoky and sweet flavours.

I’ve never had seafood pizza as delicious as their clam pizza ($26). The crust is legit with blistered burnt bits and a thin soft base. There was so much umami from the clams and pecorino cheese. The garlic, parsley and chilli brings balance to the dish’s umami. I’m normally a margherita or quattro formaggi kinda guy but this pizza got me craving for more!

They had a dry aged ribeye ($40) on offer that day. The Veal milainase was dry aged for 1 month and panko crumbed. “Tender buttery umami” is what comes to mind with this dish. It also had a lovely smoked beef fat and lemon vinaigrette.

The generous slab of tiramisu ($14) that we had was amazing! It had hazelnuts, beautiful layers of cream, mascarpone, Disaronno amaretto and Amaro Montenegro liqueur.

I cannot wait to visit this place again. There is so much more on the menu that I want to try especially the other pizza offerings.

Bella Brutta

135 King St

Newtown NSW 2042

Tel: 02 9922 5941

Hours

Mon to Fri 5pm-11pm

Saturday 12pm-11pm

Sunday 12pm-11pm

Lumi Bar and Dining, Pyrmont - Sydney

If you were to ask Sydneysiders a list of the best restaurants in Sydney, chances are Lumi Bar and Dining will get mentioned a lot. This is not surprising for a restaurant with an award-winning executive chef, Federico Zanellato (ex Noma, Attica and Ormeggio at The Spit). Federico’s fascination with fusing Italian and Japanese cuisine is the core of his establishment.

  

Lumi is one of the embodiments of the perfect Sydney dining experience and setting in my opinion. From its iconic Pyrmont waterfront setting to its sleek glass-walled spacious mid-century Italian interior design and the sublime Japanese/Italian fusion cuisine. This visit was from a few months ago with my homies Kerby and Chocolatesuze during a Saturday lunch session. There are numerous excellent reviews out there about Lumi. So, I want to approach this one as more of an appreciation post rather than a review. Lumi has a seasonal approach to their menu so some of the dishes we’ve had may or may not be available. The 10 ten-course degustation costs $150.

Disclaimer: On our visit, the kitchen brought out some extra dishes on the house.

The rye and spelt brioche was more soft and flavoursome than your usual brioche. It’s quite addictive so be careful not to over indulge on the bread before having all the other dishes.

The lovely yellow fin tuna dish was served in cute cones that tasted like delicate high-end Doritos cheese supreme nacho chips. That’s not a bad thing because Doritos is the best! Haha but seriously, these were amazing.

Rye crackers with zucchini and parmesan.

The uni is served as a nigiri boat. The umami from the uni and nori is balanced out by the creamy components of the dish.

The kangaroo tart was also fantastic! A blend of kangaroo and buttery bone marrow topped with sweet nutty fried leek in a perfect savoury tart pastry.

The chawanmushi is Federico’s take on a classic Japanese egg custard dish with Australian sea blight and shellfish oil.

The semi dried tomatoes with strawberry and olive oil is a nice delicate combo of light umami, sweet, fruity and bitter flavours.

The tooth fish with shiitake mushrooms, miso and Japanese turnip was oustanding. It’s a dish that showcases a lot of umami and a perfectly cooked fish.

Black caviar nigiri boat

The Moreton bay bug tart was next level in texture and taste. It was creamy Moreton bay bug in a seaweed pastry and topped with sea lettuce powder.

Don’t judge the pocket rocket Mushroom Agnolotti! These tiny little morsels are packed with a lot of flavour. Pieces perfect pasta filled with mushroom, truffle oil and manchego.

Tagliolini with calamari and 'nduja

The roast duck at Lumi is the most premium tasting duck I’ve ever had to date. The process to make the duck took around 4 weeks. The spices used, the flavour, caramelisation on the skin and texture was absolutely beautiful. We had the duck meat on its own and in a rice pot dish with star anise, mandarin peel and topped with shichimi togarashi. The combo of shichimi togarashi and the duck works so well.

One of the most refreshing desserts I’ve has is Lumi’s plum kakigori. Their take on this classic shaved ice Japanese treat contained basil, lime sherbet, plum and vinegar custard. Along with the fluffiest shaved came a super balanced citrus, sweet, sour and fruity flavours.

Salted geranium: An outstanding dessert that contains meringue, violet mousse, blackcurrant reduction and salted cherries.

Lumi Bar and Dining
56 Pirrama Road
Pyrmont NSW
http://www.lumidining.com/contact

Hours:
Lunch - Friday to Sunday from 12pm
Dinner – Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday from 6.30pm
Friday and Saturday from 6pm

Bacco Osteria e Espresso - Angel Place, Sydney

There is no shortage of places for a great pasta feed and contemporary Italian cuisine in Sydney. You got joints like Fratelli Fresh, ACME, Chester White and more. If you love this form of carbs and Italian food in general like I do, you should also add Bacco Osteria to your list!

Chefs Andrew Cibej (restaurateur behind Ester, Berta, 121BC and Vini) and Scott Williams (ex-Movida) has collaborated and opened Bacco in the middle of the ever-growing Angel Place dining district. Bacco is a cafe by day and licenced restaurant by night. It is contemporary trattoria style restaurant that takes classic Italian fare to another level. Their pastas are exceptional and the dishes are very produced driven. The restaurant menu consists of antipasti, primi, secondi, dolce and a wide range wine list.

We started with their artichokes and straciatella ($18) and it was insane! Beautifully braised artichokes that were sweet and tender with a milky and stretchy straciatella di bufala cheese. It also came with buttered crispy bread that was perfect for scooping the stracciatella with.

The Primi special that night was a Phillip Island scallops ($18) that were freshly shipped from Victoria that day. The scallops were plump, sweet and perfectly cooked. The buttery pesto based sauce that it came with was divine and full of umami.

Speaking of umami, the spaghetti alla chittara, sea urchin,  and beach banana ($28) was another amazing umami packed dish. The perfectly al dente handmade chitarra pasta was coated with a somewhat buttery and cheesey like sea urchin and beach banana sauce. The sauce also had hints of sweetness.

Another winner was their gnocchi with pistachio and pecorino ($24). The gnocchi is apparently based on Chef Andrew's Nonna's recipe. The buttery sauce combined with sweet, nutty, creamy pistachios and sharp umami of pecorino cheese was sensational with the beautiful gnocchi. I love this dish to bits!

Their hanger steak with anchovy and radish ($28) butter was amazing! The anchovy butter with the tender, smoky and perfectly seasoned medium hanger steak is one of the best steaks I've had in Sydney. 

I wish we had more space for desserts, as I would have loved to try their baked ricotta cheesecake and almond & pear tart. I love that they utilised butter for most of their dishes and they do it extremely well. The service here is also exceptional. I highly recommend visiting them ASAP!

Bacco Osteria e Espresso

No.1, 2-12 Angel Pl

Sydney NSW 2000

Phone: 02 92353383

Hours:

Espresso: Mon – Fri: 7 – 5

Osteria: Mon - Fri 12 - 10:30, Sat 5:30 - 10:30