We haven’t been over to Wolloomooloo much lately and hadn’t noticed Vizio Caffe e Cucina had taken up residence on busy William Street, on the gateway strip between Hyde Park and Kings Cross. This chic Italian eatery features a variety of homemade pastas and more on its menu and we visited one night for a family dinner.
Before we got started with the meal proper, we were treated to a light bite-sized morsel from the kitchen – deep-fried pasta with a ricotta cream seasoned with paprika.
For our appetisers, we went with the Fritturina, featuring a mix of juicy Deep Fried Calamari and Prawns as well as thin zucchini crisps lightly dusted in some batter and served with a jalapeno mayo.
Fritturina, $23
Our other starter were the Arrosticini traditional marinated lamb skewers, which were lightly grilled and relatively light on flavour – the zesty Italian salsa verde that it was served with helped to lift it more.
Arrosticini, $15 (for 5 pieces)
From the pasta section of the menu, we opted for the Ravioli ai Gamberi, which was plated nicely with the plump parcels of homemade ravioli encasing succulent king prawn pieces and elevated with an interesting blend of creamy stracciatella cheese, the distinctive Japanese citrus notes of yuzu and rich bottarga (salted cured fish roe).
Ravioli ai Gamberi, $36
We loved the more savoury flavours of the Tagliolini Marinara, showcasing ribbons of homemade long pasta, coated in an addictive seafood sauce made with tomato and chilli and the essences from a blend of mussels, clams, prawns, calamari and octopus.
Tagliolini Marinara, $34
Moving onto the more substantive part of the menu – we went with the Wagyu MB5+ Beef Flank which had been slow cooked for 24 hours and fell apart easily with every forkful, served with a delicious port jus, grilled cauliflower and umami-rich burnt leeks.
Wagyu MB5+ Beef Flank, $38
Our other main from the Secondi section of the menu was the Tagliata di Tonno showcasing a yellowfin tuna steak which has been cooked beautifully and served with a refreshing zucchini, eggplant and capsicum capponata.
Tagliata di Tonno, $32
To round out our meal, we shared a couple of desserts – the classic Tiramisu here has been given a twist with an ampoule of espresso coffee to inject into the layers of mascarpone and crunchy savioardi biscuit shards, while the Dark Chocolate Mousse was a revelation with a delectable mix of flavours and textures, from the indulgent yet airy 70% dark chocolate mousse, bright dollops of apricot puree and delicious salted caramel gelato.
Tiramisu, $12
Dark Chocolate Mousse, $15
The Italian fare served up at Vizio is the real deal, with the authentic flavours coming through their starters and well-executed main courses, with some more inventive twists shining through their desserts. It was a solid meal and shows how the Woollomooloo food scene is still going strong despite being slightly off the beaten path.
Vizio Caffe e Cucina
1/52-58 William Street, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011
Phone: (02) 9358 2231
