Pilu Freshwater
Captured Personal Opinions Only
Sydney? Where’s that? My thoughts exactly the minute I stepped foot into Pilu. You’re immediately transported to an escape along the coastline, be it Mediterranean or the Northern Beaches. The waiters are discussing seating arrangements in their native tongue and that’s when you know you’re in for an authentic experience.
Renowned for bringing us a taste of Sardinia, it’s inevitably a refreshing change to the saturated Italian restaurant scene here in Australia. I really wanted to question why everybody boasts about it. I wanted to write words like overrated for dramatic effect, but you won’t see them here.
For one, the pane was topped with rosemary, steaming fresh from the oven, married to a whipped butter and ricotta. Simple things.
I need you to tell me how you would refrain from ordering the entire pasta menu?
Spaghetti with WA scallops, lemon and Pilu bottarga;
Culurgiones (hand-made) filled with Juncu cheese, zucchini, burnt butter and mint;
Fregula pasta with Octopus, cherry tomatoes, capers;
Casarecce with almond pesto, stracciatella and ‘nduja..
We won’t get into how tasty the Secondi was, we opted for the Vitello but it was probably the hardest choice of the day. Please let me know how the three-hour, slow roasted suckling pig goes. I know you won’t let me down.
The one thing that I still can’t stop thinking about is the Tiramisado. From one Italian to another - Tiramisu needs a day or two to marinate. So how did Giovanni & the team come up with a tableside experience showcasing pistoccus Sardinian biscotti that didn’t compromise on flavours. It wasn’t overbearing, not too wet, not too dry. Mascarpone made up of whatever a perfect day means to you.
Ci Vediamo presto Pilu.
