On the top floor of the historic Strand Arcade, this upmarket Italian eatery reads like a glossy boardroom: long tables, suits, ties and handshakes. The food offering is serious business, too. Parmesan is grated at the table by waiters wearing ties, and if you order more than one, ahem, $42 plates of pasta, they’ll be stacked on a tiered silver stand. Sadly, the pasta isn’t always a done deal. The addition of white beans in the pork and beef ragù lends a questionable flouriness to stracci; better to opt instead for four-cheese ravioli that dances in sweet burnt butter and peppery sage. Dishes such as a Pugliese eggplant pie laced with pecorino fonduta turn on the regional charms, as does a pyramid of semifreddo, Ligurian honey custard and buttery crostata. The wine list leaves plenty of room to negotiate: from big and bold (in style and spend) to smaller Australian regions, and the sweet-talking somm will assist at the raise of an eyebrow.
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide
Wine: ★ ★
Gourmet Traveller’s star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars, reflect reviewers’ first-hand experiences. The best-rated restaurants form our national Top 100. Our wine ratings, from zero to three stars, are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
Pendolino
Level 2, The Strand Arcade 412-414 George St Sydney, NSW
