we rocked up early without a reservation (just before 6pm), sure enough the restaurant was at full capacity shortly after. the space is much more larger than tipo 00 and seats are easier to acquire. it also boasts a wide open kitchen so grabbing seating next to the cooking station or even at the bar wouldn't be entirely bad.
we started off with their negroni oscuri (their house negroni cocktail) which was a killer cocktail, you get a whiff of basil every time you take a sip. i moved onto their ilaria grande later that night which had a strong sweet orange flavour.
they complimented us with some olive bread and butter, would have preferred the entire roll to smother that beautiful soft butter all over, it was really smooth. we got a porcini mushroom croquette each served with some aioli, perfectly crisp and the interior was creamy mushroom, delightful and not overpowering.
the surprise dish was their burrata with pickled quince and bitter leaves. whilst the cheese was mild in flavour it was wonderfully milky and slightly stringy. it was a great combination which highlighted the freshness of the burrata. the kingfish with persimmon and salted radish was another great dish, the persimmon was slightly sweet and did not detract from the quality of the fish.
at this point there was a bit of delay with our next dish, my guess is that they're at full capacity and absolutely swamped in the kitchen (i made the enquiry just to make sure). shortly after our final starter dish came, it was octopus with an n'dujo (speck) and anchovy sauce. this combination gave off a similar flavour profile to a spicy chorizo. the octopus was nicely charred and a bit muscular, not the softest but i enjoy a good chew.
the first of our pasta dishes arrive and it was my favourite dish of the night. it was paccheri pasta (almost like sheets) with a rich sorrel, tomato and (from what i'm told) scampi sauce topped with pieces of crystal bay prawns. not sure if they did actually utilise two types of crustacean in this dish but the sauce was to die for and if no one was watching, i'd lick the plate clean. the pasta on the other hand was perfectly cooked and al dente.
our table was cleared and our waiter actually thought that was it. there was yet another delay with our order and our waiter went to check with the kitchen. ideally you'd want all your main dishes out at the same time (we chose not to get any main meat dishes and stuck with pasta) but we didn't mind as much as the food so far was stellar and it gave us a bit of breathing room in between dishes. the gramigna pasta was good but did not quite live up to the highs of the previous dish. perfectly cooked and packed some bite, paired with duck sausage and artichoke. we did not expect our side of potatoes to come in a singular form which looked like a japanese nasu dengaku (miso glazed eggplant). a great side which was slightly burnt on the surface and sat on top of a creamy fontina cheese sauce.
finishing up we got a trio of desserts (all of them). their deconstructed cheesecake consisted of goats curd (cheesecake) with passion fruit and toffee biscuit. solid dessert. the juniper meringue with white chocolate cream and desert lime is reminiscent of a pavlova, crumbly and sweet. lastly the chocolate semifreddo with citrius cream and olive oil was a weird combination but not the first time i've had chocolate and olive oil together. when done right it can be delicious but i found that the saltiness was too dominant.
despite the food not coming out in sequence it could be forgiven, dish after dish left a positive impression on me. ultimately they rectified the situation before it became an issue. some of the best italian/modern italian food i've had within australia, so much so it has just given me unrealistic expectations for tipo 00.