Haberfield’s Dolcissimo Restaurant – great Italian food, value and atmosphere

G’day folks, Tony here reporting on another quality Italian meal in Sydney.  I recently celebrated my anniversary over dinner at Haberfield’s Dolcissimo Restaurant.  Well, I was not disappointed.  I couldn’t help myself by reading a few Eatability reviews prior to dining there, so it was with mixed emotions that I commenced the evening, as some of the reviewers weren’t too happy with the service, some even unhappy with the food.

As far as I’m concerned, it was a perfect dinner.  Coming in at around $70 for two plus wine (licensed and BYO), it was exceptional value too.  In some Sydney city-east and eastern suburbs equivalent restaurants you’d pay 50% more at least, and likely for poorer quality food.

So what did we eat.  For starters, how about home-made whitebait fritters, and classic penne carbonara.  The fritters were so light they melted in your mouth, complemented by a green salad and mayonnaise.  Just delicious.  The carbonara was rich, creamy, and balanced – not gluggy nor too sweet – with the pasta cooked perfectly, retaining a slight bite to it (al dente)

Whitebait Fritters

Penne Carbonara

For “Secondi” we enjoyed the Gamberi pizza, complemented with a rocket and parmesan salad.  Sublimely good pizza.  Thin crust, simply done with large fresh prawns, garlic and chilli, with mozzarella cheese lightly seasoned with chopped parsley.  One of the nicest pizzas I’ve ever had.

Gamberi Pizza – Prawns, Garlic, Chilli, Mozzarella

For “Dolci” we enjoyed a made to order Cannoli – sweet ricotta filled biscuit with crushed almonds.  We shared that – then each enjoyed some of the finest gelato in Sydney – pistachio, chocolate, vanilla, Zabaglione and coffee flavours.  These guys can justifiably say “Sydney’s finest Gelato” (no offence Ciccio, your gelato rocks, but this is very good)

Haberfield is a gem of a suburb spoilt for choice in Italian food and culture here in Sydney.   It’s so accessible now from the city and east via the Cross City Tunnel – about 25 minutes from the airport.  Earlier I blogged about Napoli in Bocca, just a few doors up from Dolcissimo.  Years ago I visited La Disfida and I noticed it too is still busy so I hope to get back there soon too.  To have 3 top Italian restaurants all busy in one small neighbourhood, really says something about the quality and value to be found.  Happy Haberfield Eating all!

Dolcissimo
96-98 Ramsay Street Haberfield (corner Dalhousie Street), +61 2 9716 4444
http://www.dolcissimo.com.au/
Link to Google Map

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Pino’s – Crows Nest Italian done well

Hey there, Tony here thinking about another consistently good dining experience had recently.  Its been a while since posting, as work/family life (and too many good shows, like Kitchen Nightmares and Underbelly) have gotten in the way of updates, not to mention my new found interest in Twitter.

Anyway I’d like to recommend a teriffic italian restaurant in Crows Nest, Sydney: Pino’s.  I’ve been going to this place since the early 1990’s, and have never been disappointed.  Last week, we picked up takeaway, it was Sunday night around 730pm, and the restaurant was packed.  A good sign.  We ordered two simple classics: spaghetti carbonara and a lasagne.  Both were stunning.

The pasta was “al dente” – perfectly cooked with some firmness left, even after taking it home before eating it.  Fresh bacon and cream, and egg – just delicious and definitely a cut above the typical takeaway Italian.

As for the lasagne, it was light, full of flavour and had that feeling of being freshly and carefully prepared.  The person cooking it really cared about the food, and used fresh ingredients.

Pino’s has a lovely terrace out front, the best place to dine-in, where you can enjoy the atmosphere on the street and enjoy a wide-range of Italian dishes.  Booking essential.

Crows Nest is my favourite dining precinct on the north side of Sydney – plenty of restaurants and cafes to choose from.  There’s free parking (try Holterman St car park, off Willoughby Rd) and walk up and down checking it all out.  It’s another gem of an area in Sydney for those who enjoy quality food.

Pino’s Pizzeria Restaurant
49 Willoughby Rd
Crows Nest, Sydney, NSW  2065
P: +61 2 9439 2081
Link to Google Map

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