10 William St

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This long-standing Paddington restaurant is something of a venerable establishment. I can't quite believe it's taken me so long to finally pay it a visit, and believe me, it lives up to the hype. 

Pretzel bottarga, $18

The first thing foodies will mention when the name 10 William St is spoken is probably this delicious entree. The waiter also recommended it, saying, it has practically never left the menu. We can certainly understand why that might be. Beautifully lightly whiped butter with a generous shaving of salty bottarga, served with a piping hot, seedy, satisfyingly chewy pretzel - wonderfully satisfying. 

Focaccia, $4

With such generous serving of whipped butter, we had to order a focaccia just to mop up the remainer of the previous dish. The focaccia came with the most decadent pool of olive oil, and is wonderfully fragrant and fluffy. 

Eel on toast, $14 each
one of the new, rotating menu items, the eel on toast sounded a little more unusual than the alternative (king prawn). It is a little like unagi, but tougher - the texture is almost that of a white fish. I must admit, I prefer unagi for its melt-in-mouth texture, but this is still fairly respectable. 

Sopressini with crab, $35

Pasta, properly made, is one of the greatest joys of life. These sopressini take on such odd and irregular shapes which perfectly scoops up the sauce and crab meat into its nooks and crannies. Needless to say, it is also cooked to al dente perfection. 

Saltimbocca, $42 + Leaf salad, $16

The saltimbocca is inspired - the meat so beautifully seasoned it is savoury and flavourful all the way through. Juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside, it is hugely satsifying. The leady salad is over-priced compared to the rest of the menu, but I suppose a necesary respite from the rich meatiness of the saltimbocca. 

Tiramisu, $14

The tiramisu at 10 William St is famous - and I can see why. It has completely converted me, a hater of tiramisu, to an appreciator of this creamy, decadent dessert. The inspired touch? The flakes of Maldon salt on top, which gives a crunchy hit of saltiness that enhances the sweetness of the cream and cocoa. 


To top it all off, 10 William St has a blackboard full of curated, interesting wines - featured here are a wonderfully tropical amber wine and a creamy chenin blanc. 

Score: 4.5/5 
Cost: approx $85pp + drinks 
Address: 10 William St, Paddington

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