Machiavelli

2018 marks Machiavelli's 30th birthday - and by Machiavelli, I don't mean the Renaissance diplomat and political genius; I mean the Italian restaurant on Clarence street frequented by Australian politicians and business heavy-weights. Some call Machiavelli a veritable " Sydney institution" - and I would 100% agree.

Upon entering the dungeon that is Machiavelli, one is immediately drawn to the portraits lining its walls. On this occasion, we were seated underneath a portrait of our current PM, Malcolm Turnbull. At the centre of the restaurant is a large table groaning under the weight of San Daniele proscuitto, antipasti and fruit. The restaurant gave a strange feeling of being half rustic-family-joint and half place-where-deals-are-done.

We weren't there to make deals. We were there for Machiavelli's famous pasta, which has long been a favourite of the family.

INSALATA CAPRESE, $29

The Caprese salad at Machiavelli makes a statement - none of that thinly sliced business, thank you. We shall have half a tomato, a perfect basil leaf and half a mozzarella ball, with some fine-quality pitted black olives. This dish was not my choice - there were far more appealing starters in my opinion, and despite the quality of the produce used, at $29 for three sets of what is pictured, it is just a tad over-priced.

FUSILLI BEEF CHEEK, $42

$42 for a pasta is a lot of money, but oh my gosh is it worth it. Large, perfectly al dente fusilli is paired with slow cooked beef cheek ragout with Mediterranean herbs, braised in a rich red wine sauce. I know I have used the words melt-in-your-mouth a number of times on the blog, and I will use it again to describe the beef cheek - but here I don't just mean soft - I mean you barely need to chew. The red wine sauce is so deeply rice and flavourful, I am still dreaming of it.

FUSILLI GRANCHIO, $42

The Fusilli Granchio is a seasonal dish. It is a crab meat pasta served with a creamy white wine sauce. Light, creamy, simple, yet completely dreamy, the crab meat is naturally sweet. It really is something that needs to be tasted to be believed.

GRILLED SCAMPI , $55

Grilled New Zealand is served with a light sage butter. I mean, what can I say. Scampi really speaks for itself - the gently sweet flesh is almost crab-like; and the scampi at Machiavelli is so well seasoned that it doesn't take anything away from the natural flavours of the scampi.

GRILLED SNAPPER, Market Rate

Machiavelli gets their fish delivered twice a day, so freshness is certainly guaranteed. Served with a salty spinach puree and scalloped potatoes, this is simple seafood at its best - letting the incredibly high quality produce speak for itself.

Score: 4.5 / 5 
you can certainly understand how politicians, media moguls and CEOs would have favoured this restaurant for three decades - it's comforting home cooking, amped up a hundred times.
Cost: a pricey meal, but well worth it for the quality of the produce and skills of cooking.
Address: 123 Clareance Street, Sydney
Website: http://www.machiavelli.com.au/