VIA NAPOLI - LANE COVE, SYDNEY

Via Napoli
141 Longueville Rd
Lane Cove, Sydney

If you live in Sydney and love pizza then the odds are that you've heard of Via Napoli. It's an institution in Sydney - and it's one that is spreading its wings too. They already have restaurants in Lane Cove and Hunters Hill and they're about to open a third in Surry Hills.

This place has charm and atmosphere. It'd very Italian - in fact they make it a point of being overtly Italian - but it's done well and everyone seems to love it.

Most of the seating is outside, but don't let that cause you concern. Even on a cold night it's still warm and comfy there with all the heating, awnings and plastic curtaining.

Starters are an essential part of almost any meal. We decided to try two of their most popular offerings. Firstly we had the mozzarella impanata - or crumbed fried mozzarella. These large rounds crumbed but gooey pieces of rich and tasty goodness are delicious. It's easy to see why they're so heavily ordered and they come in a very decent sized serving as well with three large pieces. Then we moved on to the spaccanapoli - crispy pancetta wrapped around molten smoked buffalo mozzarella and all sprinkled with black pepper. These were delicious - crisp and salty yet gooey and rich all in one.

It's hard not to have garlic or herb bread when eating Italian food. We ordered both - but in their pizza versions. The base was so fluffy it was impossible to stop eating this even after our pizza's arrived. 

The specialty of the house is of course their pizza's. There are plenty of choices too - in terms of toppings and in terms of size. The pizza's come in lengths up to 2 metres! We chose a 1 metre version with three toppings and it was massive. Our toppings were Margherita (San Marzano tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil and olive oil), Crudo e Rucola (fior di latte, prosciutto parma, rocket, Parmesan and basil on a white base) and finally Capricciosa (San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, ham, mushrooms, basil and olives). With a name like Via Napoli (with Naples of course being the home of pizza) the offerings here are Neapolitan in style with the softer moister bases. These were delicious.

Service at Via Napoli is excellent and they do go the extra mile here - and it shows. It's popular all week and all year round so book - but it's certainly well worth visiting.

 

WHITEFIRE GRILL & BAR - CHATSWOOD WEST, SYDNEY

Whitefire Grill & Bar
213 Delhi Rd
Chatswood West, Sydney

Whitefire is a lovely restaurant in such a pretty location on the edge of the Lane Cove River opposite Lane Cove River Park. We'd been there for dinner and were now fortunate to be sampling their weekend breakfast.

It was a fine day and we sat outside,  joined by the charming and entertaining Michele Herson from Herson Communication Services. While the main restaurant is of course indoors, there's a beautiful covered outdoor area - perfect for breakfast on weekends, evening drinks or functions - and it's had these uses regularly!

We sat and chatted, watching kayaks go by on the river below. You really get back to nature here. The food is just as memorable from classically French trained owner/chef Nadel who has adapted and created with style across his breakfast, lunch and dinner menu's.

Breakfast juices turned out to be a great way to start so Mlady and Michele had a cranberry juice cocktail with crushed watermelon and pineapple. Sir had a Whitefire sunrise made with orange and lime juice blended with egg and honey. They all looked just as good as they tasted too. Of course we also had great coffees as well - it was breakfast after all!

Mlady chose the blini that came with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs topped with goats cheese and caviar. 

Smoked salmon is so colourful and works well across breakfast, lunch and dinner.

This dish looked great. The splashes of colour, fresh flavours and a huge serving made this a lovely start to the day. Of course the caviar and hollandaise added some richness which also went well.  

Michele had the interesting and unusual hot curry scrambled eggs.

This came with big chunks of spicy sausage and avocado salsa all presented on freshly made naan bread.

It was a great fusion dish and quite unusual for breakfast.

Nadel isn't afraid to innovate and it's worth trying his special creations.

Sir had the breakfast salad made from avocado, roasted tomato, asparagus, rocket and hollandaise and topped with poached eggs. The salad in the title gives it the essence of healthy but this is balanced with the egg and hollandaise adding some richness again. It was a tasty, fresh and filling dish - as they all were. 

Whitfire is lovely at night but also by day with a different atmosphere with the water views even more prominent. It's just so relaxing and peaceful with the added bonus of some great food and drinks. We even saw a possum pass by, highlighting our proximity to getting back to nature. A weekend breakfast or brunch here is just so nice!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Whitefire. Special thanks to owner/chef Nadel. Thanks also to Michele Herson for joining us and also to Chana from Herson Communication Services for arranging our visit.

Nadel

WHITEFIRE GRILL & BAR - CHATSWOOD WEST (LANE COVE RIVER), SYDNEY

Whitefire Grill and Bar
213 Delhi Rd
Chatswood West (Lane Cove River)
Sydney

Whitefire is a new restaurant that's managed to grab a lovely spot in a venue that's had a variety of dining establishments over many years. It's in such a beautiful location overlooking the water - Lane Cove River in fact. By day you can lunch and gaze out over the water.


Owner/chef Nadel has put a lot of thought into the decor of the venue and the food and drink menus. Drawing on his French training in Corsica there are some lovely dishes and great sauces - he spent years perfecting sauces having prepared around 2,500 of them!

Whitefire has ample parking, is in a very central location and seats around 160 people (inside and outside. It's also open for breakfast on weekends!

We started our journey with some lovely freshly house made bread. They were both delicious but we particularly loved the sourdough baguette.

Of course pre-dinner drinks are just as important! I had a lovely orange martini - orange vodka, cointreau and mandarin liqueur, and Mlady had a tall creation especially made for her which she loved. Whilst the cocktail list has plenty to offer they are more than happy to create something unique here as well.

There were so many starters that we wanted to try that the only solution was to have a cross-section - why not!

We had some delicious king prawns resting on a bed of mango and garnished with pomegranate seeds. The combination was simply delicious - mango and seafood go so well and the pomegranate gave it a nice edge.

The tender pork with figs was simply lovely as well. The meat was perfectly cooked and we found that the figs were and interesting and tasty pairing.

The prawn with watermelon was another great pairing that again surprised and delighted our taste buds. All these starters were both vibrant and appetising.

A bottle of Torbreck Barossa Valley 2008 "The Steading" went so well with our meals.

After these lovely starters we had - more starters - and we're so glad we did!

The cumin and cayenne baby calamari with lime aioli was a winner. Tender and tangy, it hit the spot.

The scallop dumplings with grilled scallops, corn chowder and lemon garnished with a hint of spicy onion was delicate and a great combination again. This is a lovely dish.

Mlady had the grilled snapper served on a caponata with an olive tapenade that didn't overpower the dish. It was garnished with freshly steamed asparagus spears.

Mlady loves seafood and this dish came beautifully presented with a lovely aroma and a taste to match.

The fish was perfectly cooked and she completely devoured every bit of it.

The charming and entertaining Michele had the fillet of beef, mixed mushrooms, gnocchi, red wine sauce, hollandaise. To be honest I nearly chose this as well. The perfectly cooked meat looked amazing.

We also had a delicious side of panzella, mixed bell pepper, tomato, Spanish onion, sourdough croutons garnished with crisp basil. This had a great mix of flavours and textures.

Being a duck-aholic I chose the crispy roast duck served with sweet spices, Asian green, orange puree and kumara.

The duck was both delicious and plentiful - it was a really big serving with flavours that all combined so well .

A side of mixed seasonal vegetables again went well with all the dishes!

I cant resist a good creme brulee so as soon as I spotted the orange and Grand Marnier creme brulee with orange salad it was my choice!

The creme brulee was soft and silky smooth with a lovely layer of crunchy toffee on top.

The citric tang of the side serving of orange salad contrasted nicely as well.

Michele had the vanilla panna cotta with strawberry jelly, berries and strawberry champagne granita.

It came beautifully presented in a clear glass allowing us all to see inside to all the layers.

We were reliably advised that it was silky smooth and delicious.


I decided to indulge a bit and have a Jamaican coffee. It was my inner rum lover creeping out! The Jamaican coffee consisted of rum, Kahlua, hot coffee and whipped cream.

It was rich, tasty and so good!

Mlady certainly had her sweet tooth (or teeth) active this evening. She had the affogato with amaretto, biscotti, vanilla bean ice cream, espresso. Oh yes was the reaction!

However she also had the hot chocolate fondant with hazelnut praline and bitter orange puree. It was divine. It's chocolate, so of course it appealed to her but its warm crust and flowing molten chocolate looked and tasted amazing!

Whitefire Grill & Bar is in a peaceful location on the edge of the Lane Cove River but the food alone is worth the trip - it's impressive. It's well worth visiting!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Whitefire Grill & Bar and its owner Nadel. Thanks to Aage and Shireen for looking after us so well. We were also joined by the lovely Michele Herson from Herson Communication Services who was great company. Special thanks also to Chana O'Neill from Hersons for arranging everything so professionally.