Il Tratto....Ra Ro...

Hmm... what a mouthful, trying to pronounce the name of this Italian pizzeria.  Il Tratto Ra Ro apparently means a place for family get together is located along the median strip of Majors Bay Road, Concord.  It is a bit hard to spot if you are driving along the main strip as it is "hidden" by the silver gum trees.

I was looking for my other dinner companions upon arriving and could not see them until I was told to go "upstairs".  Glancing up, I could see my dinner companion waving at me from the arched balcony... resembling a scene from Romeo and Juliet only..."Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou...?"

The place was bustling but the service was very good and friendly.  In addition to their usual menu, they also had a list of "specials" for the day written in a white board.  Too hard to decide as everything sounded really good.

Anyway, we decided to share our entrees, and we ordered the Nannata (New Zealand whitebait fritters) which was very nice and crisp, served with rocket leaves and the Polpi Piccanti o alla Griglia (octopus in cherry tomato, chilli and capers).  The octopus was tender and succulent and served in a nice and rich cherry tomato and chilli sauce - wished we had some bread to soak up the sauce.

For mains, we each ordered a pasta: Special of the day, Tubular pasta in a rich pork ragu, Linguine Gambaretti (prawns, radicchio, cherry tomato, olive oil, chilli and garlic), Risotto of the day (risotto served with scallops) and the Farfalle Salsicce (Italian sausage, mushrooms, onion, tomato with a touch of cream).  I think they could tell it was good as we finished every bit of it....

It's hard to imagine how we could still have room for desserts but how could we go past the gelato to wash the food down? The lemon and hazelnut gelato was yum and the Affogato (coffee smothered with ice cream) looked divine.  Again, the dessert cups were all clean.

Majors Bay Road is definitely a good alternative to Leichardt, much easier to find parking and has a really village-y feel about it... Oh... There are also a lot of fish and chips outlets.. for next time.

From top: Tubular Pasta with pork ragu, Linguine Gambaretti, Risotto with scallops, Farfalle with Italian sausage

Bring on the Salt!

On a beautiful summer's day, my colleague and I decided to get out of the city for lunch.  I took one of my clients out for Christmas lunch and headed down to Cronulla.  It was a very pleasant trip in the taxi and as we got nearer, the scenery became more breathtaking.  We could see the deep blue sea as we approached the restaurant.

The restaurant, Summer Salt restaurant commands spectacular beach views and has a bright and airy feel to it.  The menu is modern Australian and can best be described as "East meets West".  The menu has a very good selection and we were having a hard time deciding what to have.

We finally settled on the Pork Belly with chermoula roast chats, Crispy skin barramundi with prawn filled zucchini flower and cauliflower skordalia and the Oven Roasted Duck.  It was cooked to perfection and was very tasty.

Alas, we did not have any more room in the stomach for the desserts. 

Must take a drive there again for lunch... but ... in the new year.       

Pork Belly

Crispy Barramundi

Sailors Thai Canteen

Decided to try out Sailors Thai Canteen for lunch.  I haven't been here for a looonnngg time.  Trudging along George Street in the slight drizzle last Friday, I headed up to the Rocks with anticipation.  The setting was still the same, one long table for communal eating.

My friend and I were seated opposite each other.  The menu looked interesting and we ordered a dish each to share ie.  the "Green curry chicken" and the "Crisp and Salty Pork Belly, hot and sour sauce".  What can I say... I was quite disappointed.  The green curry was a bit watered down and not as tasty while the pork belly was doused in plum sauce... whatever happened to the hot and sour sauce? 

To say the least, my friend and I were disappointed with the meal, was not value for money or authentic at all....

We had to head over to the French Patisserie cafe for cake and coffee which was more satisfying...