IL GRAPPOLO CUCINA E PIZZERIA - ROZELLE, SYDNEY

Il Grappolo Cucina e Pizzeria 
1/41 Terry St
Rozelle, Sydney

Il Grappolo is a light and airy restaurant tucked away in a quiet part of Rozelle. It's a relaxed place - somewhere close to the CBD but quiet and secluded enough to allow the hustle and bustle of the day to disappear.

In true Italian style it has a lovely indoor/outdoor feel to it - with a verandah at the front for al fresco dining that opens completely into the main restaurant area. It would be so lovely there on a summer evening or a weekend lunch. As it's not on a busy strip we found parking to be very easy in the nearby streets.

Chef/owner Marcus opens Il Grappolo from Tuesday to Sunday for dinner and on weekends for lunch. They also do take away and delivery - a bonus for locals!

Sir started with a campari and soda while we perused the menu. It was so European here just relaxing after a busy day with the beautiful aroma of food drifting all around us.

We started with the fiori di zucchina - quite decent sized zucchini flowers filled with a mixture of prawns, blue swimmer crab meat and ricotta.

It was a generous serving sitting high on the plate on a bed of colourful rocket leaves. The bitterness of the rocket went well with the sweet tomato and crab and prawn meat. The lightly crisp outside revealed a soft fluffy filling that was very tasty.

We decided to try one of the pizzas as our other starter so we ordered the gamberi. It was another generous serving - with the thin traditional pizza base topped with plenty of local prawns, sliced cherry tomatoes, chilli and fior di latte. It was extremely tasty and had so many prawns on it - they really don't short change you here with toppings! A couple of glasses of Montelimo Nero D'avola went so well - and kept to the Italian theme. 

Mlady's love affair with good gnocchi continued here with her choice of the gnocchi Napoletana - home made potato gnocchi with tomato and basil.

The vibrant colours looked appealing as soon as it arrived at the table. It smelled as good as it tasted too - with it's rich full flavoured sauce. The gnocchi was light and fluffy and this classic combination was a great example of a simple dish done very well.

Sir went for a meatier option - the agnello - rack of lamb served with cauliflower fritters which was a daily special. It was another appealing hearty dish with the lamb pink, tender and very tasty. The cauliflower fritters were a nice surprise - extremely tasty and combining well.

The insalata di fico - an interesting combination of fig, prosciutto and bufala mozzarella - was a great side salad for both our mains. It was very fresh and tasty and a great Spring/Summer salad.

All the desserts at Il Grappolo - like most other things - are house made.

The Semifreddo al Torrone - nougat parfait with burnt orange sauce - sounded good but turned out to be even better again. It was beautifully presented in a thin pastry cylinder filled with a generous amount of parfait and all nicely plated. It was a struggle finishing it all - but Sir managed - what a trouper (in fact it was never in doubt)!

Mlady had what is again becoming a regular Italian thing for her - Tiramisu. When you think Italian desserts, most people probably list Tiramisu in the top three.

The sponge fingers soaked in coffee and layered with mascarpone cream was a big serving again and delicious.

She really battled to finish it all too - even though it was a light fluffy dessert. 

Il Grappolo is a charming place. It's like an oasis in the middle of suburbia - the locals are so lucky! It has great food, a nice relaxed vibe and it's also not far from the CBD and worth the short trip to try it.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Il Grappolo. Special thanks to owner/chef Marcus for his lovely food. Big thanks also to Astrid the Restaurant Manager for inviting and hosting us and to Silvia and Sophie for also looking after us so well on our visit.