The sleek Olio Kensington Street is a bright new addition to Chippendale. The Sicilian seafood restaurant has fit itself snuggly into the 2nd floor of the Old rum store. The restaurant is simply furnished, with a warm, yet minimalistic fit out, combining both the old of the ‘Old Rum Store’, with the new of the recent developments of Chippendale. At the helm of the restaurant is Head Chef, Lino Sauro, visible through the open cut-out into the kitchen.
The cuisine and design of the restaurant are congruous, with the menu being, clean, minimalistic yet traditional and familiar. The selection includes a smart range of starters, pasta, and mains.
The starter I selected was the Burrata Funghi e Prosciutto de Parma and complimentary bread. This dish’s earthy accompaniments of fried bread, mushrooms and prosciutto, makes for a memorable buratta dish.
As a self-confessed burrata addict, I went for the homemade ravioli with king prawns, black truffle and burrata sauce. The sauce left me scraping the bottom of the dish; it was light, almost foamy and creamy. What I was most impressed with was the weighted hand of the black truffle in the sauce, not overpowering the delicate flavour of the king prawn in the perfectly parcelled ravioli.
For main course, the recommendation was the Whole Salt-Baked Snapper. The dish is wheeled out on a cart and brought to the table where you, and all the other patrons, get to stare intently, mesmerised by the unveiling of the perfectly cooked flesh that is hiding in the cave of salt. The fish is so simply cooked with little amounts of rosemary and lemon that it highlights the simplicity of Sicilian food. The dish is accompanied with quite a bitter salad and delicious baked potatoes that are almost impossible to stop eating.
Finally for dessert the wait staff recommended that I try the Cannolo Siciliano, filled with a light ricotta cream, prickly pear pear sauce and served with pistachio gelato. It was holy trinity of Italian dessert ingredients all combined elegantly.
The service is excellent, and the drinks list is extensive which can all be enjoyed on the terrace, with a range of bar snacks. Olio Kensington Street is a no fuss approach to Italian dining. This is a restaurant that knows what is important to it: tradition, quality, and simplicity, presented in a modern and approachable way.
For information and bookings:
www.olio.kensingtonstreet.com.au