ormeggio at the spit

absolutely awful. one of the worst meals i've had in a long time. we had the degustation menu. i had crab shell in one of my dishes, and practically everydishwas based around the same cooking technique throughout. lacked depth, texture and flavour. we weren't asked once whether we were enjoying the meal. by the time the forth meal we hardly touched was taken from the table you would expect some sort of response from the waiter, but nothing! we did make a complaint at the end but to add insult to injury was just asked if we liked more traditional food - which is not the case! anyway i certainly wouldn't be recommending this place to anyone.

may 21, 2015 jacq leave a comment when the sydney dining scene changes so quickly, it’s easy to get so caught up in chasing the latest shiny new restaurant that you forget about the ones that have stood the test of time. alessandro pavoni has been serving up elegant italian food for 6 years at ormeggio, and has achieved two hats in the sydney morning herald good food guide for the past 3 years. ormeggio is situated on the water at the spit bridge, making it a picturesque location for an early sunday dinner. we’re indulging in ormeggio’s stressless sunday dinner, which includes 5 courses of the chef’s choosing for the princely sum for $69pp. it was kind of nice not having to make choices from a menu and let the chefs do the thinking for you – very stressless indeed! ormeggio bakery organic warm sourdough, homemade whipped ricotta we start off with a house-baked sourdough. the bread arrives warm, with a chewy centre and beautiful dark crust, and a light whipped ricotta to spread onto the bread. this is some seriously good bread so when we’re asked if we would like another serve, we can’t say no! biodynamic veal tonnato the first course is the biodynamic veal tonnato which is ormeggio’s take on the classic vitello tonnato. instead of cooked veal, the veal is served raw with a delicious tuna cream, shiso and pine nuts with delicate slices of radish draped over it. the raw meat is a bit confronting for some of my dining companions, but it’s adishthat is enjoyed by everyone on the table. agnolotti filled with lamb, yoghurt, mint, sumac the next course is a pastadishof agnolotti. the little parcels of pasta are filled with roasted and shredded lamb, and paired with a yoghurt sauce, mint oil and a scattering of sumac crumbs. it’s a nice combination of punchy and refreshing flavours and even tour resident non-lamb eater enjoys it. charcoal wagyu beef, cauliflower, kale, black garlic i’m excited to see that wagyu beef has made it to the menu tonight, and tonight we’re tre

this place is definitely in my top 10 and is a great place to have lunch with friends or a somewhere you could take your family for a special occasion. everydishwas amazing and the service was exceptional. i highly recommend.

had the most gorgeous birthday dinner here last week. the food was exquisite, both in flavour and presentation. we had the 8 course degustation menu which is aptly called "a trip through italy". eachdishis from a different region in italy and combines traditional flavours with modern twists. my absolute favourite was the battuta di manzo - the flavours and texturs were outstanding. also loved the cavoietti di bruxelle with the walnut hollandaise.
the ambience is very relaxing, warm and casual. it made me feel very relaxed and right at home. not too fancy and too uptight.
the service was great, we loved the wine suggestions from the sommelier. our seating(excluding coffee) took almost 4 hours - the portions are small but by the end we were completely full.
my only gripe was that despite making a reservation in advance and requesting a window seat, we were seated in the middle even though there were a couple of tables free by window.

love the service and the truffle dishes.
booked a late lunch here. although we were not get the spot we want but lucky to move to the widow seat once it’s available. this didn’t happen to us in other bayview restaurant. dishrecommend from staff is helpful.
will recommend this place to friends.

one of the best choices for the fork festival 2019, although they also do cheaper 5 course dinner on sunday nights throughout the year. very italian take on fine dining, intense savoury flavours in every dish, if you don't like salty food this place probably isnt for you. unlike your typical french-style fine dining which emphasises balance and textures, the food here is quite heavy with some really rich and dominant flavours.

they also offer a truffle menu throughout winter, as well as the option to add shaved truffle onto everydishfor $20. however the execution of the truffle menu is extremely lazy. there is no truffle infusion of any sort, which is a waste as there's a lot of creamy sauces and oils that could greatly benefit from the flavour. last year they had an optional tagliolinidishwhich had a truffle sauce, which was exceptional, but this year it is just their regular bottoni stuffed with truffle and pecorino. even with shaved truffle on top the pecorino flavour is too dominant and barely any truffle can be tasted. also the menu doesnt seem to have changed much after 1 whole year, which is unusual for a restaurant like this and inhibits repeat visits.

great experience and location but i feel this restaurant still has a lot of potential.

came here for lunch and we were seated by the water. the view is amazing especially during summer however it was abit difficult finding parking since it was located on such a busy road.

we had the signature dishes, they chose their most popular dishes over the years and i can certainly see why. i enjoyed the veal tartare and lambdishthe most! the pasta was a really strong burst of flavour if you really enjoy parmesan!!

we booked on a wednesday night via a monthly dimmi 50% special. arrived at the venue at 730. was promptly shown our table by the waterside with a glimmering view of the spit bridge.

after we were seated, we were shown the drinks menu. the wait staff was very patient as we went over their listing but decided to stay with water in the end.

the maître d' then came over to present to us the menu for the night explaining to us all the various courses and specials that they had. he then presented us with a wooden box, within it was an enormous black truffle resting on a cream coloured cloth. it was the first time i had been this up close and personal with a truffle of this size. the aroma was captivating. he detailed the dishes in the truffle special (it is truffle season, after all). while we were extremely tempted by the truffles course we felt it would be too much truffle for us so we opted to add the handmade tagliolini with australian black truffle to our six course dinner.

the highlight dishes of the night was most definitely the handmade tagliolini with truffle and pecorino sauce. the combination was amazing! the taste and smell of the truffle stayed with me throughout the night. the pecorino truffle sauce clung onto the tagliolini and every bite was so delicious. it was worth coming just for thedishalone. the charcoal wagyu was a very nice and tender cut of beef cooked perfectly and the bottoni filled with parmigiano reggiano was a delightful surprise.

i enjoyed the two dessert dishes okay, the almond sorbet with date could have been a little sweeter and the pear sorbet with dark chocolate and crushed hazelnut could have been a little less bitter but it's more a matter of personal taste.

all in all, the service and food was excellent. the restaurant is had a warm, lovely and quiet atmosphere, decorated in a minimalist feel so there's nothing to distract you from the view, the food and the person next to you. they even gave us complimentary bites towards the end as we were about to leave. was totally unexpected but was a very nice touch indeed.

beautiful restaurant. it's located right by the water and it has a warm, cozy ambiance. service was terrific and we had the tasting menu. everything was plated beautifully and everydishwas a mouthful of delight. plus they serve warm bread, which i love at restaurants! highly recommended for a special date. you won't be disappointed.

l to r: vitello tonnato, eggplant parmigiana, truffle pecorino and half a dozen of their oysters. ormeggio bakery organic sourdough – homemade ricotta (no doubt the best bread and ricotta spread ever!!!. porcini – piedmont hazelnuts – chestnuts (hands down my favouritedishof the night)

great dining experience for me and my friends.

i've now been here twice.

food was great on both occasions. we enjoyed everydishwe had on the tasting menu.

beautiful restaurant overlooking the waters. best to come on a nice sunny day.

best to avoid sunday lunch menu as its more expensive than any other day. tasting menu increase by almost $30pp. i learnt it the hard way.

otherwise, definitely a restaurant worth trying.

went sunday night for the 5 course menu. loved everydishexcept for one which was fish. all others were amazing, creative and delicious. lots of wine and cocktail options.

o r m e g g i o this beautiful establishment deserves more press! it doesn't look the best from the outside but once you wonder through the boat shop and onto the wharf/restaurant, you feel like you have entered tranquility. we had the set menu. everydishwas great but the most outstanding one had to be the summer dessert. you can tell a lot of thought and passion goes into their food. ✌ @foodiesguidetosydney

tried the stressless sunday menu. food was all rich and full of flavour - presentation was lovely too. there were, however, a number of let downs. the waiters didn't clear the table of bread crumbs till the very end, we had to ask for sparkling water to be refilled, tap water was poured into our purchased sparkling water, and the waiter wiped the fooddishwith the food on it in front of the us. these really are nitpicks, and are only really being mentioned with the typical 'fine dining' expectations in mind. all this said, the waiters were genuinely welcoming and friendly blokes trying their best. will be back for the full eight course degustation.

ormeggio is a 2 hat restaurant located just before the spit bridge in mosman. it's been around for a while and the head chef alessandro pavoni is pretty well known, having appeared on masterchef and other cooking shows. the great thing about ormeggio is that it's pretty good value for money given its 2 hat status. on sunday's they do an awesome 5 course set menu called the 'stressless sunday dinner' which has 5 courses pre-selected by the chefs and costs $69 per person (or $129 for matching wines). whipped ricotta with homemade sourdough -  rustic sourdough, crunchy crust on the outside but soft and warm on the inside, this went so well with the ricotta that we actually ordered another plate of this bread. ocean trout - having not eaten at a fine dining establishment in quite some time, i'd forgotten how different the presentation and taste of the dishes can be. this troutdishbrought it all back to me. such attention to detail in the plating with such delicate flavours. the balance between the fresh trout and the crunch of the tostada shards cut by the punch of the horseradish dollops. doesn't look like much to the naked eye, but it was a mouthwatering experience for the tastebuds. spaghetti carbonara - a modern twist on the classic carbonara. a twirl of spaghetti cooked al dente, with a rich cheesey sauce topped with a handful of fried lardons. mmmmmm, so simple but soooo good. beef cheeks - these braised beef cheeks in red wine jus was literally melt in the mouth goodness. with additional texture from the kale, baby corn and broccolini, this was a tasty main course. coconut crumb, gelato jelly - i'm not a big fan of desserts, but this was was super refreshing for a hot summer's night. carrot cake - ormeggi