I only have one day off this week; but I couldn't have thought of a better way to relax than some good food and wine at Piato, in the chill breaking sunshine.
It's like a slice of rustic Italy in the middle of Blues Point Rd
Started with 1/2 dozen Sydney Rocks with shallot vinaigrette; I knew these were shucked to order because the oyster was still attached to the shell (and it said it on the menu); made for hard (but fresh) eating; note for you oyster shuckers out there - use the shucker to seperate the oyster, too.
Had a mezze plate (you can choose from about 15 different items) with a glass of verdehlo from Little Wine Company, Hunter Valley 07. As always, I find young whites lacking in a lot of complexity a wine should have - but the weather called for it.
I saw the table next to me have the whole octopus on a salad - it's massive! I'm glad I had my tapas size ($8); it was slightly overcooked but the balance of flavours from the blackened chargrill, garlic, olive oil, wine and parsley more than made up for it.
Beef Souvlaki with roasted capsicum and red onions ($8). Well seasoned and tender; this chef knows what he's doing.
Grilled Chorizo ($8) with plenty of garlic oil; made good dipping with the leftover ciabatta toasts.And this place has never made a disappointing coffee; flat whites of perfect strength and the milk so velvety smooth it has this sweetness to it - every time I've been. That alone keeps me coming back to this place.
so if you want a good coffee for breakfast or have a free lunchtime check it out;
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I'm starting to get into the whole idea of tapas, so this all looks good to me.
ReplyDeleteI hear you with the whole winding down thing but your circumstances are somewhat more unique than mine :)
Oh this is really close to my old house! I love tapas but sometimes it feels like a bit of an oil overdose. That octopus looks huge and yum though! How's the new job going?
ReplyDeleteSimon: their fish dishes I enjoy, too! Work is work; life is life - carpe diem I say :)
ReplyDeleteStephcookie: yeah, there's such thing as too much of a good thing (the oil overdose; tell that to the Americans); the new job is tough - but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger ;)
Good to have another North Shorean to review restaurants on the North side of the harbour. This is the place I frequent too, got to love their tapas!!
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