Penne for Your Thoughts - 6 Venues for a Perfect Plate of Pasta

Can you guess which are the three most popular pastas?

Penne, spaghetti and macaroni take the top spots out of more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide. What’s your favourite shape?

Everyone loves a bowl of comfort and pasta certainly fills the need…here are six of our favourite places to say grazie to a dish of your choice:

An Italian place with real classic recipes that you would expect to find on your lunch break in Florence or Milan is what awaits at Oltre Alimentari e Cucina on Commercial Road in South Yarra. This charming café blends white subway tiles with hanging bulbs of garlic, recycled timber and potted greenery to set the scene for inspired dining and deli delights to take home for later.

 

Twirl your fork around pasta plates such as tagliatelle with slow-cooked beef and pork ragu, or eggplant parmigiana, with Parmesan, mozzarella, housemade Napoli and a fresh seasonal salad; gnocchi lovers opt for Sorrentina with tomato sauce topped with melted mozzarella.

Situated in the newly redesigned MLC Centre on Martin Place, L’uva Pasta Wine Bar brings a touch of Italian glamour to Sydney’s CBD. Take a seat at the marble bar and enjoy an Italian-inspired cocktail or craft beer, enjoy a long lunch or meet friends alfresco overlooking the piazza and water feature for after-work drinks and antipasti.

 

Begin a memorable meal with calamari and nduja aioli, or King prawns, kataifi, squid ink potato, peas and Campari reduction; before specialty pasta offerings such as spaghetti aglio olio e pepperoncino with garlic ice cream and sea urchin.

Those seeking an authentic Italian meal in the heart of Marrickville stop in at Semola Sydney on Marrickville Road. Find a little slice of Italian flair at this stylish dining destination, where moody copper pendent lighting, monochromatic artwork and dark wood table settings invoke lingering over a memorable meal and glass of vino.

 

Shelves groaning with pasta and sauces promise delights to come, think entrées of pork and veal meatballs braised in Napoli sauce with pecorino and toasted focaccia; then delve into squid ink spaghetti with blue swimmer crab, zucchini, cherry tomato, chilli and lemon.

Warm hospitality, seasonal dishes, beautiful wine and even better company, await at The Italian Place on Mort Street in Braddon. This stylish Canberra restaurant projects a moody vibe of red-clothed tables and walls adorned with Art Deco-style prints, banquette and intimate table settings, making for an ideal place for a romantic rendezvous.

 

An ever-evolving menu promises a mix of classic Italian dishes alongside regional favourites from across the country; discover plates like lobster ravioli, Avruga caviar, lobster bisque and tomato concasse, or gnocchi with pork and fennel sausage, broccolini, garlic and chilli.

Find your memorable dining moment at Attimo restaurant on Sailors Bay Road in Northbridge. With a name meaning ‘moment’ in Italian, expect this Sydney dining destination to deliver just that in rustic surrounds of recycled timber, whitewashed brick and potted greenery, an ideal vibe for family catchups or a romantic rendezvous.

 

Serving gourmet pizza and pasta, alongside modern and traditional Italian dishes, say ciao to an entrée of baked herb and Parmesan stuffed mushrooms, then devour spaghetti with King prawns, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, olives, chilli, onion, garlic and olive oil.

For authentic Italian run by Canberra stalwart Carlo Tosolini, look no further than Molto Italian at the Kingston Foreshore. This seaside trattoria boasts modern interiors of high ceilings, dark wooden table settings and an open kitchen and bar, alongside a wood-fired pizza oven.

 

Best enjoyed with family and friends, Molto’s menu reads like a romance where hand-cut pasta and extensive stuzzichini choices beckon to be shared; delve into the likes of risotto all’ aragosta with lobster, or pappardelle with slow-cooked beef cheek ragu and Parmigiana Reggiano.