I'll admit, I've spent more than my fair share of nights at Ivy Pool Bar. But until now, the opportunity to dine at Uccello, Ivy's poolside Italian restaurant, had not arisen, and I was blissfully unaware of the glamorous space, perched above the poolside crowd.
Uccello, means 'bird' in Italian (along with another meaning, which I'd prefer not to mention. Feel free to google it, and you'll see what I mean). There are subtle bird references throughout the restaurant. You will notice sparrows on the menu, and you should also take note of the interesting bird-cage chandeliers.
Uccello has been awarded one hat in the 2012 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. As you would expect being located in the Ivy Complex, the restaurant is simply stunning. It seems fitting to describe it as an Italian Trattoria, with poolside charm. I love the canary yellow striped awnings hanging over the poolside terrace.
Uccello is now on to its second chef - Eugenio Riva, chef at that much loved Paddington restaurant Lucio's for 13 years, before most recently running his own Darlinghurst restaurant Riva, with his wife. The food, described as 'regional italian fare', is Northern Italian, and seems to land somewhere in between modern and traditional.
The wait staff are attentive, and friendly, if not slightly on the casual side for a restaurant this calibre, but seem to know just when to appear, and equally disappear.
To start, Mr S and I order a few dishes to share. We can't go past the homemade gnocchi with Morton Bay Bugs and the pan seared scallops. Mr S skillfully silver serves the dishes.
Ricotta gnocchi, Moreton Bay bugs, pencil leeks, peas, zucchini flowers and saffron sauce.
Pan seared scallops, salad of kipfler potato, pancetta & truffle dressing.
I choose the veal for my main course, which prove to be uniform medallions, crumbed and pan fried, and set on a bed of mushroom salad. One thing I notice is, there is a lot of meat! In fact, I am barely able to finish half of it.
Crumbed veal medallions, whitlof, green bean and mushroom salad, eschallot dressing.
Mr S chooses the Mulloway for his main course.
Pan fried Mulloway, grilled scallop, asparagus salad & caper salmoriglio.
Alas, at the end of our meal, we find no room left for dessert, but can certainly fit in the petit fours which arrive at our table.
All in all, while the food was good, I cannot say it was spectacular, and I start to wonder whether the show-pony restaurant somewhat outshines the food. This restaurant is also on the pricey side, and you have to question whether the food lives up to that of the prices being charged. But despite this, I did enjoy my dining experience at Uccello. read more