Ormeggio
By Franz Scheurer
Soon people will start travelling over the bridge to the North side for good food! With restaurants like Cavallino, Clareville Kiosk, Flavours of Peking, Jonah’s, Pilu at Freshwater and The Burlington, we are indeed lucky to have such terrific places in our neighbourhood. The addition of Ormeggio brings another quality operator into our fold. Alessandro Pavoni is a terrific chef with a passion to match. He loves the food of his native Italy, loves Brescia, the region he’s from and goes out of his way to source produce to be able to cook the regional dishes as authentically as he can. He is a member of CIRA (Council of Italian Restaurants of Australia) and he takes authenticity and provenance seriously.
Last night Ormeggio officially opened to the public and we secured a table for three and enjoyed the typically Italian hospitality. After Alessandro’s stint at the Park Hyatt I never expected him to find another restaurant with the same view and ambience and I was wrong. Ormeggio is on the site the old Spittlers used to be, on the left hand side of the Spit (going towards Manly) and you sit on an old pier, over the water, with boats gently swaying a few metres away and a beautiful sunset setting the scene over the water. It’s magical outside and the renovations inside work. It’s a modern space with lots of hard surfaces, low lighting and some outside tables. The kitchen is across a small walkway on the streetside of the building and there is a small kiosk (open 7 days) that doubles as a bar during service.
The menu is a great read and the wine list is well put together, complementing the food and there’s something for every budget. After a terrific little appetizer of prosciutto on honey drizzled, toasted dark sourdough, we tried the ‘Ventresca di tonno cotta a bassa temperatura con bastoncini di patate e fagiolini croccanti’ (Slow cooked tuna belly, potato and green beans) and the ‘Filetto di sgombro marinato al balsamico, burrata e pomodori’ (Mackerel fillet in aged balsamic vinegar, burrata cheese and cherry tomato). The tuna, wonderfully rich and textured, was a really good dish but it was the Spanish mackerel that stole the show. We followed by ordering the ‘Agnolotti con ricotta e bagoss, pomodoro, basilico, olive nere’ (Agnolotti stuffed with ricotta and 3 y/o bagoss cheese, tomato, basil and Ligurian olives), ‘Risotto ai frutti di mare’ (Seafood risotto) and finally the ‘Pici con ragout di coniglio, porcini e piselli’ (Wholemeal pasta with rabbit ragout, porcini and fresh peas). I question the spelling of ragout instead of ragù but the French spelling might be regional. What can I say? Fantastic comes immediately to mind. The Agnolotti are sensational (we had them once before when Alessandro cooked as part of the team at the CIRA dinner). The bagoss cheese (from the village where Alessandro grew up) melts beautifully and gives the Agnolotti bite and texture. The risotto, obviously made à-la-minute and ‘all’onda’ is well worth the waiting time (takes 20 minutes) and the pici, a hand-rolled, hand-cut wholemeal pasta that takes hours to make, had a terrific bite, the peas freshly shelled and beautifully sweet and this is one dish I am going to order again and again.
For mains we tried the ‘Gamberi grigliati, faro alle mandorle e zafferano’ (Char-grilled king prawns with organic faro, almonds and saffron) and the ‘Lombolini con polenta di Storo e spinaci’ (Brescian stye pork involtini, Storo polenta and sautéed baby spinach. Both dishes, again, excelled and the pork involtini reminded me in style and appearance of a dish Janni Kyritsis used to cook at MG Garage. Storo polenta is from the town of Storo and famous amongst the Italians. It’s quite yellow and coarse with strong flavour. My only complaint: the polenta needs a bit of work yet as it is a little ‘stodgy’ and a touch grainier than it should be.
A good wine list with a descent selection of wines by the glass provides many choices for the customer and a bottle of Le Vigne di Zamo Refosco Merlot from Friuli was light yet earthy enough to go with our food.
Despite all the food we had space in our dessert stomachs and sampled the ‘Carpaccio di fichi, gelato al pistachio, pane alla cannella’ (Fresh figs, pistachio gelato and cinnamon bread), the ‘Duomo di cassata, mousse al cioccolato, arancio candito’ (Cassata semifreddo, chocolate mousse and candied orange) and the Millefoglie di gelato al sesamo, corccante di cioccolato, macedonia di fragile e basilico’ (Layers of sesame gelato and chocolate wafers, strawberries and basil salad). Presentation was flawless and the desserts were all above expectations. I love the tiny strawberries that the pasty chef grows in his own garden!
Service is still a bit patchy but well meaning and friendly. I am surprised to have such a ‘together package’ on opening night! No doubt they will settle into a routine and from what I saw last night, this won’t take long.
Ormeggio is seriously good. I would already put it right up there at the top, only eclipsed on the North side by Pilu at Freshwater. The food is creative, different and totally finger-licking good. Watch out Sydney, this will be a place worth travelling to!
SCORE: 8/10
For more information or bookings:
Ormeggio (at the Spit)
d’Albora Marinas
The Spit, Spit Road
Mosman NSW 2088
Tel.: 9969 4088