Posted by KB on October 5, 2010
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Sydney has plenty of Italian restaurants, there’s no denying that. But when it comes to regional cuisine, something outside of the generic “Italian” tag, the options are not as plentiful. Returning to Sydney after 12 years of travelling through Europe, Michael and Maki Dackiw sought to rectify this imbalance by setting up La Pesa Trattoria, a sister restaurant to one in Milan that Maki previously ran.
They found themselves a rather suitable venue amid the whitewashed arches of what once was home to Tre Scalini on Liverpool Street, dressing up the classic Italian-style space with ‘60s and ‘70s black and white shots of Milan. It’s much bigger than what you’d expect – the small corner frontage hiding a bar and three dining areas. Service, however, is delightfully personal; a complimentary glass of prosecco and bowl of olives does wonders for making your guests feel welcome.
A glance at our neighbours' table shows us portion sizes are large, so we decide to keep pasta relegated to the entree course, choosing a wonderfully slippery pappardelle with duck ragu and ravioli filled with boar and covered in butter. And it’s a wise decision; waiting for our entrees we are slipped a plate of gnocchi fritto: lighter-than-air parcels of fried pastry topped with the restaurant’s house-cured lardo.
The osso bucco main (so highly recommended by Terry Durack) is a no-brainer, and no disappointment either: a tender discus of beef topped with flecks of bone marrow, served on a bed of saffron risotto as rich as it is golden. Unable to resist the temptation to add yet another animal to our growing menagerie, I opt for the rabbit. It’s a generous pile of game, dangerously moreish when eating in alternating mouthfuls with the accompanying roast capsicum.
Our one regret of the evening is that after gorging ourselves on all that Milan has to offer, we were unable to experience the full force of the dessert menu or the unusual but enticing cocktail menu. Instead we opted to split a classic tiramisu, and with that, roll out into the night.
La Pesa Trattoria is at 172 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst. Ph: 9331 4358
la pesa trattoria, italian, milanese, darlinghurst