Ombretta355 Glebe Point Rd
Glebe, Sydney
Ombretta is a small place that is big on quality. Facing onto Glebe Point Road, it is so well insulated from the hustle and bustle outside that it is almost an oasis from the outside world. Here at Ombretta you sit back, forget the day you've had, and simply enjoy the food, wine and charming service that awaits you.
If you try to decide what you want in advance from their web site - you'll fail. Their dinner menu isn't there! It really can't be as it changes every fortnight to reflect a different region of Italy. If you're desperate then ring and they'll tell you what's there. It's really not necessary to do this though, the food is going to be good.This place oozes charm, and so do the staff there too.
We started with the Antipasto della casa - a mandatory starter! It consisted of a variety of cured meats, porcini mushrooms, house baked bread, olives, cheese and marinated vegetables - such a tasty way to eat veggies! Both Sir and Mlady being huge fans of antipasto's, this was a flavoursome and fresh plate. Antipasto's are such a great way to start your Italian journey.
Mlady chose to drink a Nero Davlo. It is the most important red wine grape in Sicily and is one of Italy's most important indigenous varieties. It is named after Avola in the far south of Sicily. Mlady enjoys this wine and has indulged quite a few times. Sir decided to try a white this time and choose Villa Job. This was an Italian organic wine and is also biodynamic. Sir enjoyed this and it went well with his meal.
We had the Kingfish carpacchio. Sir has a bit of a passion for a good carpacchio and this one certainly ticked the boxes.
It was such a refreshing dish and the tartness (but not too much tartness) of the crispy pomegranate was certainly a good combination. Teamed with Sardinian bread - this was a really tasty dish.
The stuffed zucchini with breadcrumbs and capers was a really warm and tasty dish. The tomatoey sauce that it sat on went well. We have had our fair share of stuffed zucchini stuffed flowers with different mixtures of which we do enjoy but this made for an enjoyable and pleasant change - having the stuffed zucchini being presented this way.
The home-made squid ink spaghetti with crushed pistachios was a "must have" for Mlady. She has become quite accustomed to "squid ink" dishes. Not just for the variety of pastas but more so for the presentation. With the pasta being black, Mlady found this dish very visually appealing. This dish was very interesting - in appearance, being very colourful - and its taste.
Sir and Mlady both love a great pasta and we next had the octopus ragu with onion, chilli and garlic. There are so many different types of pastas and you can combine so many wonderful ingredients with it. This octopus ragu was a really tasty dish of which everything tasted so well and yummy together.
We also had Fregola. This is a type of pasta from Sardinia. It is similar to North African Berkoukes and Israeli couscous. There were pipis which had a wonderful flavours and added an interesting touch to this dish. The grated fish gave it it's saltiness. This is also a very interestingly looking dish. Reminds you of collecting those wonderful sea shells at the beach.
Then came the slow cooked lamb. This dish had great flavours.
The lamb was so tender and the meat sauce was inspired by Sicilian heritage and was incredibly tasty.
The lamb had such a lovely distinctive flavour and this was a hearty comfort-food dish.
Next we had the pork belly with apple puree and carrots. Doesn't apple go so well with pork - yum! Pork Belly is one of the most succulent cuts of meat. Paired with crispy crackling, this made for an incredible dining experience. This was cooked to perfection! The side of carrots added colour and texture. We thoroughly enjoyed this dish.
As a side and Mlady loving her greens she just had to have the asparagus. This is an ornamental dish and it was topped with that wonderful Italian hard cheese - pecorino. The cheese went well, for as we know asparagus can sometimes be quite bland but with the addition of the pecorino, this gave it added texture and a really good flavour.
We had the Ocean Trout, green salad, grapefruit saba verde. Mlady loved the crisp skin. The intense citrus and freshness of the grapefruit saba verde balanced out the wonderful flavour of the Ocean Trout. The green salad added great colour and taste.
We each indulged in a wonderful dessert wine - as you do. This was a 15 year old Incanto Chianti - Botrytis - Vincenzo. This certainly was palatable. Such a good way to end a wonderful night or to have whilst you are finishing off the night with a scrumptious dessert.
We started with the Tiramisu - a traditional favourite of both of us. Tiramisu is a classic Italian masterpiece and it is such a crowd pleaser. Mlady never likes to share hers - but sometimes has to.
This was absolutely delicious, so light and such a visibly appealing dessert. Tiramisu ticks all the boxes.
We also had the Torta Gallurese. This was served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream that combined well. This was a heavier and hearty dessert and was traditional.
Ombretta's desserts cater to those who want a light dessert - Tiramisu - and also to those who want to indulge in something a bit more heavier.
Mlady chose to drink a Nero Davlo. It is the most important red wine grape in Sicily and is one of Italy's most important indigenous varieties. It is named after Avola in the far south of Sicily. Mlady enjoys this wine and has indulged quite a few times. Sir decided to try a white this time and choose Villa Job. This was an Italian organic wine and is also biodynamic. Sir enjoyed this and it went well with his meal.
We had the Kingfish carpacchio. Sir has a bit of a passion for a good carpacchio and this one certainly ticked the boxes.It was such a refreshing dish and the tartness (but not too much tartness) of the crispy pomegranate was certainly a good combination. Teamed with Sardinian bread - this was a really tasty dish.
The stuffed zucchini with breadcrumbs and capers was a really warm and tasty dish. The tomatoey sauce that it sat on went well. We have had our fair share of stuffed zucchini stuffed flowers with different mixtures of which we do enjoy but this made for an enjoyable and pleasant change - having the stuffed zucchini being presented this way.
The home-made squid ink spaghetti with crushed pistachios was a "must have" for Mlady. She has become quite accustomed to "squid ink" dishes. Not just for the variety of pastas but more so for the presentation. With the pasta being black, Mlady found this dish very visually appealing. This dish was very interesting - in appearance, being very colourful - and its taste.
Sir and Mlady both love a great pasta and we next had the octopus ragu with onion, chilli and garlic. There are so many different types of pastas and you can combine so many wonderful ingredients with it. This octopus ragu was a really tasty dish of which everything tasted so well and yummy together.
We also had Fregola. This is a type of pasta from Sardinia. It is similar to North African Berkoukes and Israeli couscous. There were pipis which had a wonderful flavours and added an interesting touch to this dish. The grated fish gave it it's saltiness. This is also a very interestingly looking dish. Reminds you of collecting those wonderful sea shells at the beach.The lamb was so tender and the meat sauce was inspired by Sicilian heritage and was incredibly tasty.
The lamb had such a lovely distinctive flavour and this was a hearty comfort-food dish.
As a side and Mlady loving her greens she just had to have the asparagus. This is an ornamental dish and it was topped with that wonderful Italian hard cheese - pecorino. The cheese went well, for as we know asparagus can sometimes be quite bland but with the addition of the pecorino, this gave it added texture and a really good flavour.
We had the Ocean Trout, green salad, grapefruit saba verde. Mlady loved the crisp skin. The intense citrus and freshness of the grapefruit saba verde balanced out the wonderful flavour of the Ocean Trout. The green salad added great colour and taste. We each indulged in a wonderful dessert wine - as you do. This was a 15 year old Incanto Chianti - Botrytis - Vincenzo. This certainly was palatable. Such a good way to end a wonderful night or to have whilst you are finishing off the night with a scrumptious dessert.
We started with the Tiramisu - a traditional favourite of both of us. Tiramisu is a classic Italian masterpiece and it is such a crowd pleaser. Mlady never likes to share hers - but sometimes has to.
This was absolutely delicious, so light and such a visibly appealing dessert. Tiramisu ticks all the boxes.
We also had the Torta Gallurese. This was served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream that combined well. This was a heavier and hearty dessert and was traditional.
Ombretta's desserts cater to those who want a light dessert - Tiramisu - and also to those who want to indulge in something a bit more heavier.
Ombretta is a charming place. You feel like you've escaped to a trattoria somewhere in Italy. They change the menu regularly - every two weeks in fact - so you certainly get variety. The food is simply great across the entire menu. It's a wonderful experience dining here and somewhere well worth visiting - regularly.
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Ombretta. Special thanks to owner Nicco as well as Ricardo, Giacomo, Giulio and Elisa - the whole team there were great. Big thanks also to Brooke for arranging our visit.
