Italiano

My favourite cuisine of all the cuisines? Italian. And it has been for years and years. And the reason I love Italian so much is that you can eat according to your mood - whether you crave comfort food, like a deep bowl of spaghetti arrabiata with a rich Chianti - or if you just want something light like a radicchio and parmigiano salad with a glass of Pinot Grigio - or if you just want to graze on a platter of antipasto while sipping on a Negroni. And do I need to mention the desserts?? Tiramisu.. umm.. heaven!

I have yet to find my favourite Italian eatery in my current city, but three of my favourite Sydney restaurants fit this bill perfectly.

A Tavola in Darlinghurst- they do the most incredible baked olives, which I tried to replicate on NYE a couple of years ago. If you haven't tried warm marinated olives, especially the lovely large, green Sicilian olives,  you're missing out!

Vini in Surry Hills - they have a blackboard covering an entire wall with the most fabulous list of Italian wines.

and my all time favourite..

Il Baretto in Surry Hills. The papardelle with duck ragu is to die for.

All of these places make their own pasta every day, and once you've had homemade pasta, nothing ever compares.

My boy has arrived safely in NYC. I love that the first place he was taken to for dinner by his old friends, straight off the plane, was this place:

Gourmet Tour - 3rd Stop : Roman's

A selection of reviews is here - definitely mixed, but that's often the case with new restaurants. Overall, it sounds pretty delicious to me! It reminded me immediately of all my favourite Sydney places, so that's why it's going on my Gourmet list. My boy tells me that Blackened Bass was on the specials board last night. My mouth watered. All I had for dinner last night was crispy bagel chips with french onion dip. Oh, and a glass of Rose. Classy aye?