Alberto's Lounge

-
First, a minute of silence for one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney that no longer is: Berta. Their sagra menu really was quite something.

On a brighter note, the folks who brought you the French bistro of your dreams, Hubert, opened Alberto's Lounge at the site that once was Berta, bringing me a sliver of comfort. Just as Hubert immediately transports one to a dark, intimate restaurant in 1930s Paris, Alberto's Lounge takes you straight to Italy with its wonderfully authentic cuisine.

The kitchen is semi-open, and every single dish that came out of it made my gaze follow it with longing. Though the menu is quite small, it was difficult to make decisions - everything looked so good.

Affettati Misti, $22
To start, a plate of cured meats and cheese - mortadella, bresaola and salami with rich, salty Parmigiana Reggiano. The bresaola, in particular, had a wondefully rich and oily texture.

Carta di Musica, $8
 We had no idea what this dish actually was - I was mainly seduced by its name, which sounded to me like "music sheets". Turns out, it is the name of a Sardinian bar snack. It is pane carasau, a traditional flat bread so thin and crispy with butter it shatters rather than breaks apart, lathered with butter and topped with thinly sliced bottarga, which is a delicacy of salted, cured fish roe. It tastes deep and ever so slightly funky, but in a good way.

Spaghetti di Alice, $26
The pasta dishes at Alberto's Lounge changes regularly. On the night of our visit, we enjoyed a spaghetti with plenty of garlic and zuchini flowers. There is no need to say this, but I will say it anyway: the pasta was cooked to chewy al dente perfection. It is also absolutely flavourful, with delicious oil coating every inch of the spaghetti, and the zuchini flowers delightfully fresh.

Pomodoro Pappardelle, $26
The pappardelle had the most melty beef ragu and little gems of cherry tomatoes bursting with flavour. The thick noodles were a particularly wonderfully vessel for this comforting, home-made-but-better dish.

Cantanese, $19
I have always been slightly afraid of the celariac - I have no idea how to cook one, which is why I always order them in restaurants. I love their slightly sweet, mild flavour and gently crunchy texture. Deceptively simple-looking, this wonderful salad was absolutely incredible. Refreshing yet deeply satisfying at the same time, it has changed my mind about what a salad could be.

Baba Napoletano, $16
A honey-soaked crioche topped with a mountain of cream and sprinkled with tart freeze-fried raspberries - this sinful dessert was worth every calorie. I could not have thought of a better way to finish what was a heavily-salted (and that's why it is delicious) meal.

To accompany all these wonderful plates, I chose a glass of Italian red wine from Alberto's Lounge's impressive list of uncommon wines - it promised blueberry notes, and indeed, it delivered. It is a Val Del Prete Barbera, and Wikipedia tells me it is "is known for deep color, full body, low tannins and high levels of acid." Divine.

Score: 5/5
Price: $70pp with a glass of wine.
Address: 17-19 Alberta St, Sydney
Website: https://www.albertoslounge.com/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ho Jiak

-
Image
The first time I tried Ho Jiak, I traveled to Strathfield and ate at their little hole-in-the wall joint, teetering my milo-infused laksa (yes, you read that correctly) dangerously on a little stool. Since then, Ho Jiak has opened a decent-sized restaurant in Chinatown, and it has come a long way from its humble street-eats roots. It even boasts two tasting menus - one omnivorous, one vegetarian. My friends and I, of course, had to try both. Get ready to carry a food baby by osmosis, because this is going to be a huuuuge review. Ho Jiak Tasting Menu  Nasi Lemak in a Bite This may only be "a bite", but it sure packs a punch. Arguably the national dish of Malaysia, nasi lemak is rice cooked with coconut milk and in pandan leaf, which gives it its enticing fragrance - it is topped with crushed peanuts, sambal and accompanied by a rich shot of laksa broth. Kiam Ah Nui Kay Perfectly fried chicken bits on the bone in salted egg-yolk coating. Salted egg yolk has go
Read more

Afternoon Tea at the Four Seasons

-
Image
Afternoon tea is a Mother's Day tradition in my family. Over the years, I have taken my mum to most of the afternoon tea purveyors in Sydney, and Mode Kitchen at the Four Seasons stands out for its beautiful, romantic atmosphere.  Situated on the second floor complete with a harpist and directly across a wall of beautiful ceramic ware, the afternoon tea set up is at once private (because you're not looking directly at any other table) yet on display (comme Marie Antoinette) because you are seated right above the hotel foyer.  The tea selection is small, but curated; and ceremoniously brought to the table for selection. The purveyor is Jing Tea. I highly recommend the Flowering Osmanthus, which is a green tea with osmanthus flower, giving the tea a subtle yet warm sweetness.  Unlike most afternoon teas, the savoury layer is in the middle tier, rather than the bottom tier. From left to right, we have a lemon stracciatella and broccolini vol au vent with caviar (at an additional c
Read more

Ragazzi

-
Image
Tucked away in the charming, quaint, bird-cage filled Angel Place, Ragazzi is one restaurant I have been looking forward to trying for a long time, because I have had a couple people recommend this restaurant to me a good spot to dine in the CBD.  Having never been to Ragazzi before, I was delighted to see that they have a chef's choice menu. I am a big fan of giving control over to those who prepare the food, because I trust that the chef's menu is the highlights reel. Having said that, the fact that we chose the chef's menu is where we went wrong. There were three of us dining, and I think the restaurant actually under-served by providing two people portions for most of the main courses and dessert.  The fact that 2 of the courses are side-salads also significantly decrease the value of the chef's menu. Having done some basic maths, it simply does not add up, I found myself significantly over-paying for the misfortune of being lumped with some courses I would never ha
Read more