AND ALSO...
Mimi’s
CoogeePavilion,
MiddleLevel,130a
BeachSt,Coogee,
(02) 9114 7324,
merivale.com/
venues/mimis
OpenMon-Fri
noon-2.30pm,
6pm-9.30pm;
Sat& Sun
noon-3pm,
6.30pm-9.30pm
PricesSnacks
$9-$16,entrées
$29-$62,main
courses$42-$72,
desserts$25
Vegetarian
Twosnacks,
threeentrées,
onemaincourse
NoiseBuzzing
butnotbarbaric
Wheelchair
accessYe s
MinusExpect
a largebill
PlusInfallible
service and décorDetailsWHENINROME
BustlingItalianeateryBaccomatto
OsteriahasrelocatedfromSurry
Hillstoa newspacein Randwick’s
Newmarketprecinct,andyou’ll
bepleasedtoknowtheirpizza
(thedoughis risenfor 72 hours),
andhandmadepastaarebetter
thanever.Popin fora sliceof
Roman-stylepizza,andstayfor
hand-rolledporchettaanda bowlof
rigatoni(above)lavishedwithhearty,
slow-cookedragù.2/164BarkerSt,
Randwick,baccomattoosteria.com.auPRIMETIME
Old-schoolcharmmeetspure
gluttonyatTheGidley, a crackin’
newbasementsteakhouseby
theBisteccacrew.Thereis beef,
ofcourse,andboyis it good;the
220-gramspinalisis thepickof
thefourprime-ribroastcuts.Other
highlightsincludea prawncocktail
witha sideoffriedprawnheads,and
a meticulouslylayeredpotatogratin.
Settleintoa cosyboothandsipjuicy
redsfromPiedmonttoBurgundy.
161 KingSt,Sydney,thegidley.com.auCITYSLICKER
MartinPlacehasa newaddition
withthearrivalofToppi. Namedafter
itsownerPaolaToppi– hermother
openedtheinfamousMachiavelli–
themodernItaliandineris madefor
corporatepowerlunchesgivenits
centrallocation.It seemsthekitchen
is stilltryingtofinditsfeetthough,
withsomedishesyettomeetfamily
standards.Sticktothehandmade
pastas,suchasthespaghettiwith
delicateblueswimmercrab,bullhorn
greenchilliandbasil,andfinishwith
a NegroniSvegliatokickedupwith
vermouth-infusedespresso.
60 Martin Pl, Sydney, toppi.com.auHere’sthething:Sydneysiders
areusedtodroppingseriouscash
inreturnfora decentmeal.Add
a coastallocationtothemix,and
weexpecttopaydouble.Butthe
pricesat Mimi’sareeye-watering.
Caretokickthingsoffwith
a “bump”ofcaviar(wheeledto
youona trolley),andchilledsea
urchin,followedbygrilledlobster
withhand-cutnoodles,orsuckling
piglet?I’dconsiderliquidatingsome
assetsbeforebookinga table.
If Toft’sstintat Bert’stells
usanything,it’sthathefavours
high-endproduce,cookedsimply
andoftenoverembers.Take,for
example,a skeweredsnackthatis
barbecuedabaloneandpancetta.
Simple,salty,and$16each.Ouch.
Theheavypricetagwouldbe
fareasiertoswallowif everydish
wasperfect.Instead,pipisand
a scanttangleoftoo-thinpici
arrivefloatinginananaemic
broth,supposedlyflavouredwith
pancettaandchilli.Neitherof
whichI couldconfidentlydiscern.
Butthereis causeforhope.
Youmightfindit ontheone-per-
personlistintheformofa squab
bun,akacharsiubao’sRussian
cousin.Madewitha yeastedsour-
cream dough, the three-bite snackis stuffedwitha richmixture
ofsquab,liveranda gooddose
ofpepper,thenmeticulously
pleatedandfried.It’sexcellent
whenloadedwithsourcream.
Anothertriumphis the
Queenslandmudcrab,cocooned
andbakedina saltcrust– a process
thatinvolvesheating,resting,and
heatingagainuntilthefleshpulls
awayfromtheshellandsetsjust
therightamount.Theatrically
unearthedtableside,themeat
is sweetandmagicallyseasoned.
A salineJulienBrocardchablis
is crab’sbestfriend,andnotthe
onlygemtobesavouredbythe
glass.Anotheris a funkyRadikon
“Slatnik”fromFriuli,a solidmatch
withanyofthevegetable-driven
dishes.Theremainderofthewine
listcorralssomeoftheworld’sbest
labelsandrequiresdeeppockets.
Amongthedessertsthere’sa
decentmixoffruity,creamyand
frozenthings,includinga super-
lightyetintensechocolatesabayon
tartewitha bananaliqueurcream.
There’snodoubtMimi’swill
bringfreshcrowdstoCoogee’s
shore,butwitha pricepoint
comparabletoQuay,thechallenge
will be keeping them there.●Chocolatesabayon
tartewithcrèmedebanane
cream.Below:theviewof
Coogee Beach from Mimi’s.44 GOURMET TRAVELLERWORDSJORDANKRETCHMER(BACCOMATTOOSTERIA).(PHOTOGRAPHY MADELEINE RYAN (BACCOMATTO OSTERIA),KRISTINA SOLJO (FOOD) & STEVEN WOODBURN (INTERIORS).Sydney review