Best known as the man behind Icebergs, Maurice Terzini opened his newest restaurant – Da Orazio Pizza and Porchetta – earlier this year, hiding it away near Bondi Beach, in a new complex on Hall Street which also houses a branch of Haberfield’s famed Italian Pasticceria, Papa. This weekend it was named among The Australian‘s 50 hot Restaurants around the country.
Greeted with a modern design – clean white tables and chairs litter the large space – it’s hard to ignore the huge wood-fired oven that sits in the corner of the room. Indeed, as its name implies, pizza is one of the restaurant’s signature items, with their Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza an unmissable attraction of their menu. Their name also highlights their Roman-style rolled-and-roasted porchetta, though we didn’t add any to our selections tonight. On retrospect, possibly a poor choice on our behalf.
Comparable in price to other popular Italian restaurants in Sydney like Fratelli Fresh or Jamie’s Italian – a dinner for two, even with dessert and a couple of glasses of wine, will rarely end up more than $100 (ours certainly didn’t). The quality of food ensures you feel you’re getting good value for money, in an environment (and a location), where you often feel the opposite. Though gourmet in its design, there’s nothing pretentious about your meals and they seem keen to encourage families and couples alike to enjoy an affordable night out. There’s something inarguably Italian about the approach as you enjoy fine wine, good food in a loud, excited atmosphere.
We started, as should any good Italian meal, with a glass of Italian white wine and some freshly baked bread (“Pane Cafone”) and olive oil ($4). The bread was perfect – crispy on the outside, moist on the inside and a delicious start to the night. Their relaxed approach was also supplemented by their delivery of your bread in a white paper pocket – as well as your cutlery, in blue paper of the same.
Despite the restaurant being packed – and on a weeknight no less – we were floored by how quickly everything came out. Within 15, maybe 20 minutes, our three mains – a pizza, salad and a pasta to share – had all arrived. Accompanied by some chili oil, of course.
The wood-fired pizza was to die for. The crusts perfect (naturally risen for 48 hours), as was the balance of sauce and cheese. Even if you were to stick to the plain Reginella ($18), you wouldn’t leave disappointed by the 32cm pie. We went for the Siciliana ($20), however, which saw Eggplant and Ricotta add their flavours to the dish. Typical to Nepolitana style, the toppings were minimal but a perfect mix and we were very happy with our choice.
Our pasta was a light dish covered in chili oil, cherry tomatoes and a healthy amount of crab. You may want to keep some of the bread to the side to drag up the leftover oils. And though the spaghetti was slightly too al-dente for my liking (a testament to its quick arrival no doubt), it was a simple dish that highlighted the crab nicely.
Though with only three pasta selections on the menu (a wild boar ragu and a vegetarian risotto round out the list), it’s certainly not what they’re trying to make themselves known for. Since eating at the restaurant a few weeks ago, they have replaced this dish slightly with the “Calamarata” ($25), which sits Calamari in place of the Crab. No doubt a seasonal dish!
Our $10 salad rounded off the shared meal nicely, with baby endive, baby cos, baby zucchini, rainbow radish, corn and eschallots making what may have just been a simple side salad that little extra special, accompanied by a simple but perfect vinaigrette. The broccilini with chili and garlic ($9) also looked like an excellent side option, and a plain mixed leaf salad is also available for $8.
Dessert was a must, and we’d left plenty of room for it, with my partner enjoying the Tiramasu ($9), and myself the Chocolate Mousse ($11). The mousse was covered in chocolate pearls that gave a little something extra to the dish, while the presentation in jars seems to allow the chefs to have the dishes ready to go earlier in the day, while taking nothing away from its design. Fresh from the fridge, it’s a refreshing way to end the meal.
Those looking to leave their menu in the hands of the restaurant can also choose the “La Tavolata”, which serves a banquet to a minimum of 4 people for $45 per head. A “Bambini” menu for the little ones is also available, with 20cm pizzas, $10 pastas and scoops of ice cream sure to put a smile on any child’s face. Or the parent who steals some of the said ice cream while said little one is not looking.
Without question Da Orazio offers some of the finest Wood-Fired Pizza in Sydney. Having opened in January, the nature of a wood-fire brick oven is that the flavours will only get better the longer they’ve been in operation. It would be a hard sell to say the meal is alone worth a voyage to Bondi – but should you find yourself in the area and looking for an Italian meal to end your day, with unbeatable value, I couldn’t think of a better place to recommend.
——————–
Da Orazio Pizza and Porchetta is located at Shop LG09, The Hub 75-79 Hall Street in Bondi. Open 7 days a week, its hours are from 5pm on weeknights and from Midday on weekends.
For more details head to http://www.daorazio.com/ or call 02 8090 6969
Our meal was kindly covered by Destination NSW.
