Australian Gourmet Traveller - (05)May 2019 (1)

THE NEW WAVE OF ITALIAN DINING

SYDNEY

DonPeppino’s

Warmbreadloadedwithgarlic

butter.Pastafromtheextruder.

Lemonhalvesfilledwithlemon

sorbet.What’s oldis newagainat

thispop-upmade(semi)permanent

inanoldnightclubonOxford

StreetfromtheFullCirclecollective.

Half-Negronisallround,please.

1 OxfordSt,Paddington,(02) 9326

9302,donpeppinos.com.au

BellaBrutta

LukePowell(LP’sQualityMeats)

hasgonefromsmokertowoodfired

ovenathisNewtownpizzeriawhere

thepuffy,scorchedpizza bases

areeitherservedwitha tinofDIY

anchovies,loadedwithpepperoni

fromLP’s orrampedupwithsurf

clamsandvelouté.Italiansensibility

withrock‘n’ rollattitude. 135 King

St,Newtown,(02)9922 5941,

bellabrutta.com.au

Tot t i’s

“Mediterranean” wasthebrief,but

“goodtimes” mightbethebetter

label.Howelsetodescribesitting

alfrescosurroundedbyolivetrees

andtearingintowoodfiredbread

togowithplatesof’nduja,ricotta,

olivesandanyothersnackyou

can think of. Mike Eggert and Khan

Danisfollowit upwithmeats

fromthewoodgrill,lambragù

pap pardelle,andNeapolitan

ice-creamsandwichesto

finish. 283 BondiRd,Bondi,

(02) 9114 7371, merivale.com

Alberto’s Lounge

TheteamfromRestaurantHubert

bringit abovegroundintheformer

BertasiteinSurryHillswithchef

DanielPepperelldoingthatItalianish

thinghedoessowell.Meaning

classicwhenhewants(spaghetti

pomodoro,perhaps) andnot-so-

classictherestofthetime(tripe

cookedlikebutterchicken). Andy

Tysonbacksit upwitha boldand

beautifulwinelist.17-19AlbertaSt,

Sydney, albertoslounge.com

Mary’s Pizzeria

A NewYork-stylepizzabase

topped,carbonara-stylewith

parmesancreamandcuredegg

yolks, thecrustspaintedwithbacon

fat.Ora vegansupremeona thick,

squareDetroit-stylebase. Mary’s

goesbothways,tuckedinto

a candlelitsideroomofThe

Lansdownehotel.Unexpected

andunexpectedlyexceptional.

TheLansdowne,2-6 CityRd,

Chippendale, 0434 816 430,

thelansdownepub.com.au

Totti’s, Sydney.

MELBOURNE

ItalianArtisans

TonyNicoliniofDOCfameis

behindthissouthsidepizzajoint

that,truetoname,focuseson

artisanItalianproduceandminimal-

interventionItalianwine.Thereare

fourtakesonMargherita,thefinest

antipastointhe’hoodandclassic

cannolisomemightargueis worth

thetripalone. 135 VictoriaAve,

AlbertPark, (03) 96907960 ,

italianartisans.com.au

Leonardo’sPizzaPalace

Thereinventionofa long-time

Carltonlandmarksuccessfully

meldsa hipster-barvibewithno-

nonsenseAussie/American-Italian

flavours,sometimesgivena fusion

spin.There’sChineseBologneseor

ham-and-pineapplepizzaalongside

Capresesaladandprosciuttomelon.

Morecoherentthanit sounds. 29

GrattanSt,Carlton, (03) 92420666 ,

leonardospizzapalace.com.au

Capitano

CaseyWall(BarLiberty)hasrefined

hischildhoodmemoriesofthe“red

sauce”Italianrestaurantsin New

Yorkatthisterrazzo-flooredhomage

in Carlton.NY-stylepizza,vodka

sauce,meatballsandvealparmigiana

arerenderedwithprecisionandcare.

Nostalgiafreeofsentimentality.

421 RathdowneSt,Carlton,

(03) 9134 8555, capitano.com.au

HOBART

Fico

FredericaAndrisaniandOskar

Rossiarecookingsomeofthebest

modernItalianfoodinthecountry

rightnowintheirmodestrestaurant

inHobart’sCBD.Brilliantpasta,

greatlocalproduce(including

seaurchinspluckedfromthesea

merehoursbeforeserving), a

dashofJapaneseinfluenceand

greatfinesseexplainthebuzz.

151a MacquarieSt,Hobart,

(03) 6245 3391, ficofico.net

66 GOURMET TRAVELLER

WORDS MICHAEL HARDEN & DAVID MATTHEWS. PHOTOGRAPHY NIKKI TO.