Bambini Trust Restaurant & Wine Room
Before covid, I would often see people seated in the outdoor tables at Bambini Trust Restaurant & Wine Room in the morning, enjoying their coffees. I had sometimes felt rather envious of those leisurely people who did not participate in the morning rush but have chosen to merely observe it. Behind them, through the open frosted doors, I could see a dark, brooding, traditionally-decorated room, dimly lit.
Rarely featured on Sydney's food-blogging scene, it is easy to overlook Bambini; and that would be a mistake. Here, beautifully executed, traditional food is accompanied by an impressive and interesting wine list, featuring Australian and European drops. If you are ever in need of some suggestions, the sommelier is on hand to assist.
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| Arancini, complimentary |
The meal begins with a complimentary amuse bouche in the form of a saffron arancini - a tiny mouthful to awaken the taste buds and prepare them for the deliciousness to come. Apart from the subtle flavour, I particularly liked that the arancini is not overly cheesy - perhaps a bit of a controversial opinion here, I find little joy in arancinis with a cheese pull that never ends: they are messy, awkward to eat and the cheese often overwhelms all other flavours.
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| Bambini Spaghetti, entree size, $26 |
I could not go past the dish that bears the name of the restaurant. The entree-sized portions comes with three bouncy, fresh Spencer Gulf king prawns from South Australia, and is cooked in a sauce of chilli and garlic. So simple, yet so fresh and elegant. The pasta is beautifully chewy.
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| Ravioli, entree size, $24 |
The ravioli is the reason we came to the restaurant: it had haunted my companion's dreams until she relented and sought it out once more. The filling is one of butternut pumpkin and buffalo ricotta, and the silky, rich sauce consist of burnt butter, sage and amaretti.
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| Cotoletta Milanese, $40 |
I am usually not a huge fan of cutlets (I have a general aversion to crumbed, fried food lest they be poorly executed and end up unpleasantly heavy), but I nevertheless ordered the veal cutlet because I was attracted to the accompaniments, being fior di latte polenta and cavolo nero. I have always loved the term fior di latte, or flower of milk - such an elegant way to describe cow's milk mozzarella. The resulting polenta is creamy in a fragrant, rich way. Cavolo nero is a particularly dark green kale, glistening in oil, perfectly salted, accompanying the cutlet perfectly. I even enjoyed the crumb for its balanced, gently salted flavour; and there is no hint of oily heaviness whatsoever.
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| Duck leg, $44 |
The duck leg is cooked so beautifully the meat barely requires cutting - no battling with knifes and fork here, thank you very much - the meat simply tumbles off the bone. Served in a provincial style with roasted root vegetables and grilled lemon, it is rich and satisfying.
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| Chocolate and caramel tart, $17 |
The tart, made with dark Valrhona chocolate, has a rich, silky top, a chewy caramel layer, and a biscuit bottom so crumbly it is barely noticed - exactly how I like tart pastry, for after all, it is a mere vessel in which the delicious content is held. I had always assumed Valrhona is a place or a variety of chocolate. Turns out, it is a brand of fine chocolate from France - arguably the world's best producer of professional-use chocolate, and therefore favoured by top restaurants when creating chocolate desserts. Fun food fact aside, the tart is accompanied by a yoghurt-like gelato whose acidity works very well with the richness of the dessert.
Score: 4.5
Cost: approx $100 - $150pp
Address: St. James Trust Building, 185 Elizabeth St, Sydney NSW
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