The Italian Kitchen - Miranda - Sydney, Australia

The Italian Kitchen is open as part of Westfield Miranda's multi-million dollar redevelopment. Popular restaurants such Mejico, Braza, Kazbah, Grill’d and Din Tai Fung have also established their presence in this precinct. 

Restaurateur Con Dedes, the owner of famous restaurants such as the Flying Fish and Watergrill, has teamed up with renowned chef Danny Russo, opening The Italian Kitchen in the Shire. A modern Italian restaurant in the south boasting a casual and sophisticated dining space. 

The open courtyard is filled with plenty of natural light and fresh air.

The concise menu showcases traditional Italian food, providing an assortment of options including antipastis, entrees, salads, mains and desserts. Pizza is cooked in a woodfired oven and pasta is made fresh on premises.

What grabbed our attention was the ‘Shoestring Chips ($8.50)’ with a truffle mayo. Who could say no to that? The fries were deep fried to a nice golden yellow and balanced with the right amount of salt. The accompanying truffle mayo was brilliant. 

The ‘Pollo Pizza ($23.00)’ is topped with chicken, mushrooms, roast peppers, ricotta cheese and a heap of rocket. A fluffy and light base with the right thickness and loaded with an abundance of fresh ingredients. This was delicious and a good portion size. 

To balance out our meal, we decided to order a lighter dish. The ‘Margherita Pizza ($20.00)’, while simple, was packed with a lot of flavor from the delectable tomato sauce, basil and buffalo mozzarella cheese. 

The ‘Seafood Linguine Pasta ($29.00)’ is made using freshly made linguine with prawns, calamari and mussels in a garlic and butter sauce. We enjoyed the overall creaminess and textures of the dish but the seafood must have shrunk during the cooking process and the portion was smaller than expected.

Photo courtesy of K

A must visit for those who are looking for authentic Italian food in a wonderful locale with a lively atmosphere. The perfect restaurant for a special occasion or gathering as it won’t break your budget. I definitely recommend this restaurant and will be visiting it very soon.

Where?

Level 2, Shop 2203/2204,

Westfield Miranda

Miranda NSW 2228

Phone no: 02 9188 2981

Opening Hours

Monday - Sunday: 11:30am - 9:00pm

Website

www.theitaliankitchenmiranda.com.au

Agio Italian Restaurant- Insadong - Seoul, South Korea.

Agio Italian Restaurant

Agio Restaurant specialises in Italian cuisine, namely pizza and pasta dishes. It actually wasn't on our list of places to eat at and I didn't think we would end up eating Italian food in Korea. However, I had the sudden craving for pizza after over indulging in Korean food for many days and my palate was in need of something that didn't have too much rice, meat or vegetables. Though, my expectations of finding excellent Italian food in Seoul was quite low and that proved to be quite the contrary.

After some searches on trusty Google, I stumbled upon a restaurant called Agio and the reviews were pretty good. It's fairly easy to get to, smack bang in the middle of the busy Insadong district, a tourist friendly area. They even have a branch at Hongdae for those who are interested.

Located within the side street that leads off the main street, is this quaint restaurant that occupies two levels of a rustic looking building, and the mere architecture made me reminisce back to the time when I was in Italy.

The kitchen is downstairs and the majority of seating is located upstairs. I loved the nostalgic decor with the antique style furniture that felt homely, yet maintaining that quiet and elegant ambiance away from the crowded streets.

One thing that differentiates this restaurant from other Italian restaurants is how the pizza is cooked. It is cooked in what they call a brick oven or how we Australians like to call it, a wood-fired pizza oven. The pasta here is also made fresh and that is apparently a rarity in Korea.

It's a casual restaurant with prices being quite affordable but I wouldn't say it's a budget restaurant and more towards the mid-range level. We were there at lunch and the crowd was relatively mixed. There were the couples, groups of friends and lots of families. Surprisingly, I didn't see any foreigners on that day and most were local Koreans.

The motto of the restaurant is 'slow food' and that was rather intriguing. The menu was set on a number of pages inside a folder and the menu was very easy to read as items were in both English and Korean. The staff were friendly and they took our orders promptly and food was also served quickly.

The waitress brought out complimentary house bread and pickles. A plus plus from me. The bread was warm and there was a hint of garlic to it which I liked very much. The pickles were nicely pickled in that they were sour and crunchy, but I'm not really a pickle eater so I didn't have much of it.

The 'Arabiata Sauce Spaghetti with Fresh Seafood and Tomato (KRW 12,500)' was absolutely amazing. The fresh pasta was cooked perfectly al-dente and complemented the chunky tomato sauce and the  seafood was tasty. A hearty and mouth-watering meal.

'Chicken Barbecue Pizza with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese (KRW $18,500)' is on a crisp thin base topped with loads of mozzarella cheese and shredded chicken. They don't put a lot of toppings on their pizza and this is kept to a minimal, just like how the pizzas are done in Italy. That stringy and melt in your mouth cheese was superb.

The base was crisp, chicken was well marinated and the homemade tomato sauce was pleasant. A wonderful combination of flavours that just hit the spot. My initial reaction while scoffing down the pizza was, this is so good and indeed it was.

Agio is worth a go if you are in the area or looking for authentic Italian cuisine. We really enjoyed the food here and it surpassed our expectations. The pizza and pasta was definitely better than some of the ones I had back in Sydney and even comparable to the ones in Italy. The produce is fresh and that shows in their food.

Where?
Jongno-gu Gyeonji-dong 
68-1, 
Seoul,
South Korea

Phone no: 02 334 7311

Opening Hours
NA

Website
NA

Caffe Leonardo Ristorante Pizzeria‏ - Piazza di Spagna. – Rome, Italy.

Caffe Leonardo Ristorante Pizzeria
‏

It was a beautiful day in Rome, very hot and sunny with barely a cloud in sight. We wanted to make the most of our time there as we were only there for a day. One day in Rome is just not enough! We had a late lunch and were still partially full but decided to eat dinner regardless. This is because we didn't want to return back to the hotel and venture back into the city centre. Such greedy and lazy eaters we are.
 

 

 

We spent the whole day roaming the streets and sights of Rome till our legs were so sore, and we were so exhausted, that we had to find a seat to sit on.

 

 

Caffe Leonardo is located behind the famous 'Spanish Steps' in Rome. An area filled with many tourists and a few thieves who pick pocket. Do take care of your belongings as I've heard many stories of money/goods being stolen, but I didn't experience this myself, thankfully.
 

 

It's a beautiful area to dine in, as a short stroll will take you to the water fountain in front of the steps, where you can indulge yourself in delicious Italian ice-cream.

This place offers casual dining at moderate prices that won't blow your budget, with mains starting at below 10 Euro. It may be pricier than restaurants you would find within the inner centre, but you’re paying for the ambience and great location.  

 

Can you believe it's past 8pm in these pictures? Looks like we're dining in broad daylight.

We chose to sit outside under the patio as the weather was warm and we wanted to eye watch people in the plaza. People watching is a popular hobby for the Parisians who sit outside at cafes staring at people but I'm not sure if this applies to the Italians.

 

The staff were friendly and food was served promptly without having to wait long.

The Italians are famous for their pizza and pasta and that is what we ordered even though we just had it for lunch! Can't leave Italy without savouring their specialities.

 

They make excellent coffees here. Warning. Do not order the 'Latte' as this is just milk without coffee! I accidentally pressed Latte on one of those coffee machines back at the hotel and it dispensed only milk. Initially, I thought the machine was broken, until someone told me that the word latte means milk.
 

'Caffe Shakerato (EUR 3.50)' is a shaken iced black coffee. Strong black coffee with a bit of sugar that is shaken with shaved iced. Refreshing and thirst quenching in the summer heat.
 

 

The 'Cappuccino (EUR 3.70)' looks more like our version of the latte. Strong coffee but well balanced out with the addition of milk. Love their cute sugar packets in those heart shaped sachets.

 

The 'Diavola Pizza (EUR 9.50)' looked picture perfect but didn't match the ones we had for lunch. It still tasted pretty good with the exception of the base, which was much thicker than the ones we were accustomed to having in Italy. This was topped with tomato, mozzarella and hot salami pieces.
 

'Spaghetti Allo Scoglio (EUR 10.00)' is their version of the seafood pasta and cooked with a tomato based sauce. Pasta didn't taste as fresh as the one we tried earlier in the day. A few prawns and oysters’ scattered about, here and there, but not the most generous with the seafood.

 

Really wanted to try their 'Tiramisu' but we were so full that there was no space for this lovely Italian dessert.
 

It's a good lunch and dinner spot to be able to relax and enjoy decent Italian fare, but nothing beats the one at Angelino Ai Fori Ristorante Pizzeria.
 

Where?
Piazza Mignanelli 21 (P.zza di Spagna)
00187 Rome
Italy
Phone no: 066797310

Opening Hours

NA

Website
NA
 

Angelino Ai Fori Ristorante Pizzeria – Rome - Rome, Italy.

Angelino Ai Fori Ristorante Pizzeria

 

 

It was a scorcher of a day with the sun out in full swing but that didn’t stop us from going outside. With my sun hat on, SPF 50 sunscreen slopped on and sunglasses in tow, I was good to go. I think I went a few shades darker from walking around the whole day but it was well worth it and if you know me, I don’t want to get any darker.

 

 

 

 

The beauty of the surroundings in Rome and the history behind everything just blew my mind away. I never would have thought that I would be in Rome, and to be able to witness those amazing sights is mind boggling. The pictures from the internet and the guide books don’t do these attractions justice.

 

 

The first restaurant we stumbled on when walking back from the Colosseum was the ‘Angelino Ai Fori Ristorante Pizzeria’.

 

 Located on a corner, near the traffic lights, it is one of the busiest restaurants in the area, where we had to wait 10 to 15 minutes for a table. We were a bit apprehensive due to the number of tourists in there, but left pleasantly surprised after finishing our meals.

 

 

Both indoor and outdoor seating is available but it most sat outside as the weather was so nice and pleasant. The outdoor seating area is covered with vines and leaves, which gives you a nice shade, and is a welcome from the hot and sunny weather. It’s a nice place to relax and watch the world go by as you feast in Italian cuisine.

 

 

They have one menu with a few different languages, to cater for the tourists including English.

 

‘Pizza Poppea (EUR 10.50)’ is topped with fresh cheese made of buffalo’s milk, fresh tomato and basil. The thin flour base is evenly cooked with a nice and crispy outside. Even though the ingredients used were very simple, they were extra fresh and so scrumptious. It was divine.

 

‘Pizza Al Funghi (EUR 8.20)’ is a popular pizza in Italy as I’ve seen it on many menus. This was topped with tomato, mozzarella and mushrooms. Again, a great pizza with minimal toppings but does its job of satisfying one’s cravings.

 

‘Fettuccine Alla Romana (EUR 9.30)’ was a superb pasta dish. Fresh made fettuccine pasta with a roman style meat sauce on top. Yet again, another simple looking dish but excellently made in all elements. It had the right combination and balance of flavours. It wasn’t bland and had the odd addition of snow peas.

 

 

‘Pizza Puttanesca (EUR 9.20)’ was mistakenly ordered as my friend thought it was a spicy pepperoni pizza. No pepperoni in there! This had tomato, mozzarella, olives, anchovies and chilli-pepper. Nice pizza but I don’t like anchovies in my pizza as it can get very salty. Luckily there wasn’t too much of it and as such, the pizza wasn’t very salty at all.

 

Oh how I love you 'Chilli Flakes'.

 

 

'Still Water' and 'Sparking Water'. No tap water is served here.

No room for dessert unfortunately but I really wanted to try the tiramisu. Looks like I may have to make another trip to Italy in a few years time just to have the tiramisu.

Hands down the best pizza and pasta I had in Europe. Absolutely delicious and scrumptious and till today, I still have images of what it looked like and how it tasted. A popular place for tourist but evidently, the food is very good, tasty and the ingredients used are fresh. One of the friendliest wait staff we experienced whilst in Europe. The waiter we had was not only funny and humorous but also very entertaining.

Great location and excellent food at moderate prices is always a winner for me. If you’re after the real deal, then this is the place to go to if you’re in Rome. A must have in Italy is Italian pizza and pasta and you can’t leave Rome without trying the fundamentals.

 

 

 

Even though it is located close to tourist attractions and the restaurant is filled with tourists, don’t be scared off by this. I highly recommended this restaurant if you are visiting Rome.

 

Where?
Largo Corrado Ricci 40-43A

(Angolo Via Dei Imperiali)

00184 Rome Italy

 

Phone no: +39 06 679 1121

Opening Hours

Open Everyday Except Tuesdays

9am - 11pm

Website

www.angelinoaifori.com