MORETTI RISTORANTE PIZZERIA BAR - LEICHHARDT, SYDNEY

Moretti Ristorante Pizzeria Bar
99 Norton St,
Leichhardt Sydney

In the heart of the famous Norton Street in Leichhardt you find the wonderful Italian Ristorante Pizzeria Bar - Moretti.

What strikes you initially as you walk in is just how big this place is. There is an industrial feel to it as well. We were seated at the front just as you walk in. When facing the bar - to the right their is an area that caters for families and to the left of the bar their are stairs leading to a mezzanine level catering for couples. They have thought of everyone!

They seat approximately 120. You are able to sit a the bar and eat and watch the amazing pizzas being made and cooked in the impressive wood pizza oven.

We started our meal with a Merlot which we both enjoyed.




















Our first entree was the Fiori Di Zucca - deep fried zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella & anchovies.

These really were so good!

They were ever so lightly crisped and oh so fluffy inside . A very delicate dish. Being huge fans of zucchini flowers - we just had to have these.

We wanted a sharing plate so our chose the Tagliene Di Salumi E Gnocco Fritto which is a nice selection of cured meats served with deep fried dough puffs. This arrived on a bread board and placed on a pizza stack. The meats were tasty and the deep fried dough puffs were AMAZING! They were so tasty and such a nice change as opposed to just having bread.


The dough was so good that you can devour by itself - it really is that good - or pair it with one of the tasty meats. The dough was also warm and very lightly dusted with salt - YUMMO!

Next we had a bright and fresh salad - Insalata Barbabietola - which consisted of  baby beetroot, baby spinach, quinoa, caprino cheese and croutons marinated with extra olive oil and lemon. This had great flavours and textures with everything complementing each other.  The croutons had crunch and as Mlady loves beetroot, spinach and quinoa, this salad ticked all the boxes.

An aromatic serving of meatballs arrived - Polpette in Sugo - meatballs slow cooked in tomato sauce, How good were these! The meat was finely minced and tasted so light which was amazing as meat can be heavy (definitely not the case here!). Teamed with tomato sauce, a simple combination but ever so effective. Simply loved this dish!


In a cute hessian bag we also had a selection of bread with butter, an almost essential item when eating Italian food!

So much to chose from, so we decided to order mains and share. We had the Spaghetti Alla Mugnaia - spaghetti with Napoletana sauce, fresh ricotta and fresh basil. A basic, simple and very tasty dish. Fresh Basil - delicious. Love the aroma of this very fragrant herb. As you cut into the basil - it's intoxicating aroma rises up - lovely. We really both enjoyed this dish.



After being mesmerised by watching the wood pizza oven - we just had to have a pizza. We had the Grotta. This was made up of mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, hot salami, porcini mushrooms, pecorino cheese and bread crumbs. Truly - this was an amazing combination. The crunchiness of the breadcrumbs just added to this great flavoured and textured pizza.

It had a great bite too but this did not overpower. One of the best pizzas!

We were full but just had to have dessert. It was a mixed plate of desserts made up of an orange sponge with orange custard, chocolate ice cream and surrounded by an array of berries, Vanilla ice cream sitting on a bed of cookie dough clusters and then there was a Nutella tart garnished with blueberries and a sliced and fanned strawberry. We love our desserts and these were so good.

The fresh berries that garnished added vibrant colour and of course -  tasted good. Mlday loves chocolate - what could say about the Nutella tart? Well, combined with a biscuit base - that truly was one of the tastiest biscuit bases ever - combine that with the incredible Nutella - pure heaven!

Finishing our glorious meal Sir had a limoncello  and Mlady had a sweet Italian dessert wine - that came in a very cute glass. Mlady enjoyed her dessert wine but of course had to have a sip of the equally yummy limoncello.

The food at Moretti is great! To coin a well known phrase - "Do yourself a favour"!

They have a wide selection of great dishes with delicious combinations and the servings are very generous.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Moretti. We would like to thank Pascale, Octavio and Giordano for looking after us on the night. A big thank you to Claire McPherson of CPM Online Marketing Solutions for arranging this visit.

 

THE CHOCOLATE ROOM - LEICHHARDT, SYDNEY

The Chocolate Room
39 Norton St
Leichhardt, Sydney

Norton Street in Leichhardt is a popular place for Italian food. Of course most places there offer dessert too - but the arrival of The Chocolate Room certainly expands the available choices.

It is similar to a range of other places in that they focus on sweets - and predominantly those with a chocolate hit.

They have coffee, milkshakes, hot chocolate and spiders too - as well as a range of homemade chocolates.

They have a pretty wide range of dessert choices too - it's not a case of one or two options.

We grabbed one of the few available tables and then we both had to go and take a decent look at the daily offerings. It was a hard choice - they all looked good and rich and sweet and decadent.

 Mlady ordered their choc mint tart. It was a decent sized treat with a nice crust filled with rich and tangy mint and topped with an even richer chocolate mix. It hit the sweet spot.





















Sir grabbed a Mars bar cheese cake. the biscuit base was topped with a caramel cheese cake mix, then covered in a layer of chocolate, drizzled in a dollop of gooey caramel and topped with a slice of Mars bar. It's a perfect dessert for those with a very sweet tooth - which precisely describes Sir.





















We also tried a couple of their home made chocolates. The mud cake chocolate was chosen by Mlady and Sir had the Grand Marnier chocolate. Both were very tasty.

LA TAVERNETTA OSTERIA - LEICHHARDT, SYDNEY

La Tavernetta Osteria
23-26 Norton St
Leichhardt, Sydney

La Tavernetta (which means Little Tavern in Italian) is part of that predominantly Italian enclave know as The Forum in Leichhardt.

Owners Ernesto and Antonella Meduri only started their "Little Tavern" in December 2013 and it has attracted a great following. It was packed and buzzing when we visited.

It has a small indoor area and bar and a larger protected al fresco area in front. The al fresco area is covered though so it can be used comfortably in all weather - and of course there are scattered heaters for those cooler evenings or nights.

The whole place has really captured that Italian feel with simple adornments that are perfectly in style.

One very popular offering is their Aperitivo which runs every Friday evening.

For a mere $15 you get a glass of wine or beer and unlimited access to their "buffet" of food.

For $20 you get a cocktail and all the goodies. It's an amazing deal and understandably in high demand. We tried this for our entree and loved it!

Sir started with a Pimm's which came mixed with fresh fruit, white sugar and ginger ale. It was a tasty start and Mlady had a glass of red to start the evening.

Later Sir unusually had another cocktail, which we both actually shared. It was a speciality of Rocco, the mixologist there, and it was extremely unique.

Firstly, the drink itself looked spectacular, with fruit everywhere - inside it and on top. A hollowed-out ring of pineapple also sat on top.

The really unusual part was that we were provided two small squirter bottles and told to squirt our mouths first with the red one then the white second - before each sip!

We still don't know what it was but it was a great taste!  

The gnocchi here is certainly worth having - even as a teaser before your mains. The gnocchi Napolitana is so simple and tasty. Their tender house made gnocchi arrives with a good covering of rich, vibrant and satisfying sauce. It works so well. Otherwise there's the gnocchi al Gorgonzola - another simple yet delicious dish. This variation has their gnocchi mixed with a creamy yet not overpowering Gorgonzola sauce and garnished with some pieces of super crispy pancetta.

One thing about La Tavernetta is that you can ask for dishes that aren't on the menu - or combinations that aren't.

They will do what they can here to oblige to create a mix that suits the individuals taste.

The next dish was a lovely pairing of beautifully cooked scampi and risotto.

The scampi was halved and cooked perfectly - its tender flesh peeling easily out of the shell.

It's so easy to overcook scampi - but it wasn't the case here with a gentle hand and light touch clearly at work.

The risotto was lovely - how can rice taste this good - and it was so simple too. Cherry tomatoes adorned it as well. 

Next was the Costolette d'agnello - possibly the prettiest dish of the night - and delicious as well.

This was lovely tender BBQ lamb cutlets served on top of generous dollops of beetroot purée and interspersed with scattered freshly steamed snow peas.

It was a sea of colour as it arrived and the lamb was nicely cooked to medium rare and beautifully pink inside.

Is affogato really a dessert or is it more of a palate enhancer before or after or instead of dessert. Mlady regards it as the coffee she has when she's not having coffee.

Anyway, the Affogato Tavernetta arrived and it was a scoop of vanilla gelato and espresso coffee served with a touch of Baileys and garnished with scattered crushed amaretto biscuits.

Whatever this was - it was good. 

Then the bigger desserts arrived starting with the ananas flambé al grand mariner. This dish is pineapple flambéd with Grand Marnier then served with a tangy lemon sorbet. It's fresh, vibrant, tangy and pretty filling too.

Sir's favourite finale was the Crespelle Tavernetta. This was chilled homemade crepes with ricotta and toblerone chocolate. It's unusual having crepes chilled but we found that it actually worked very well.

La Tavernetta Osteria is in the far corner of The Forum but once there you'll probably not want to leave. They have lovely food that will bring you back once you try it. The locals certainly agree!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of La Tavernetta. Big thanks to owners Ernesto and Antonella Meduri. Thanks also to Maria, Rocco and Andrea for looking after us so well. Special thanks also to Stephanie for arranging our visit.

TRATTORIA LA FONTANA - Leichhardt

TRATTORIA LA FONTANA
39-45 Norton Street
Leichhardt NSW 2040
(02) 9550 9365

We parked under The
Forum and wandered the
short distance to the well
signposted La Fontana
which has a pretty
fountain at its entrance.

Service was prompt and
we chose to at outside at
a table close to the street
and watch the world go by.

Sir chose Gamberi in Guazzetto for
starters - consisting or four plump tiger prawns in a light tomato sauce with garlic and chilli served with an aromatic bread crouton.

It was tasty and tangy with a lovely bold sauce of delicate pieces of chilli and garlic in tomato - a full flavoured starter! An extra crouton would have allowed more of this delicious sauce to have been soaked up.

M'Lady chose Fiori Di Zucca which was lightly battered zucchini flowers filled with fresh ricotta and gorgonzola cheese and served with veggie ratatouille.

Both the presentation and taste was excellent. Three lightly cooked zucchini's with almost tempura- like battered flowers arrived on a bed of very fine ratatouille. This was a subtle dish with delicate flavours that hit the mark.

Sirs main course was Ravioloni DÁnatta e Funghi - freshly made ravioloni filled with roast duck and wild mushrooms in pancetta and mushroom cream sauce.
The sauce was delightful, with plenty of pancetta and mushroom pieces and the ravioloni was plentiful and tasty too. The duck and wild mushroom filling was a good combination creating a delicate yet earthy combination that went well with the sauce.

Pollo Farcito con Ricotta, Timo e Salvia was M'Lady's main course choice. This was corn fed chicken breast stuffed with ricotta, lemon, thyme and sage, wrapped in prosciutto and served with green beans and wild mushroom.It was a hearty serving with two good sized pieces of chicken that were both cooked to perfection with crisp prosciutto on the outside covering  juicy and moist chicken breast inside and accompanied by plenty of beans and mushrooms.

The pears and chocolate cake with vanilla bean gelato was interesting. M'Lady was expecting pears with the cake - not in it - but was nonetheless pleased with the combination and taste. M'Lady regards herself as a bit of an expert on vanilla ice cream and gelato - and she felt this wasn't one of the best she's had - which was a pity as the rest of it was exceptional. The chocolate sauce and nuts were a tasty extra.

Sir chose cappuccino goloso - chocolate mousse, crushed pannacotta, savoiardi biscuits and caramelized coffee topped with cream.

Presentation was again great with this dessert arriving in a teacup on a saucer - unexpected and interesting.
This turned out to be a delicate and light dessert with subtle flavours that finished off the lovely meal well.

Prices are around $18 for entrees, $22 for pasta mains (but they can come in entree sizes too), $27 to $30 for meat mains and $12 for desserts. Wine by the glass starts at $7.50. This is a pleasant restaurant. The service is excellent and the food matches this. Its well worth visiting!

The view down Norton Street from our table.

La Fontana's chefs (Head chef at rear).



The interesting lighting on the front of the bar makes it a feature.