Vapiano, Sydney CBD

On a cold wintery Monday night, Matt and I head to Vapiano for a hearty dinner. As Matt describes - Vapiano is simple and homely food. I'm happy to hear they have a winter special - fondue. As I walk in, I notice lots of friends, families and tourists sitting down with big bowls of pasta and pizzas.

On this particular night, we decide to cheers to a nice glass of cabernet sauvignon and a blue moon belgian white beer. Matt always orders this beer as he thinks it's delicious. Whereas I like the medium bodied peppery tones of wine.

As a winter special, there's also pumpkin soup which really hits the spot. It's cold and this soup is soathing my soul. The soup is smooth with chunks of bread and parmesan cheese and a dash of cream on top. Matt and I slurp our soup down. It's a great way to start a winter meal. Apologies, I had to much fun and forgot to take note of how much the pumpkin soup was.

I order the Gamberi E Spinaci ($22) which has prawns, onions, cherry tomatoes, cream with basil pesto, parmesan and it's tossed with fresh spinach. The pasta is quite dense and stodgy and is coated in the creamy basil pesto which has subtle flavours. I enjoy the prawns in the dish. So if you're quite hungry - this heavy dish may be the one for you. I prefer a lighter pasta with a touch more seasoning but the dish was still enjoyable to eat. 

Matt orders the Pollo Amatriciana ($21) which has chicken breast, onion, mushroom, bacon in a home made tomato sauce. Matt really enjoys this dish and says it's a nice simple dish that's reasonably priced.

Matt and I also share a Toscana Pizza ($19). We've ordered too much food but we both felt like pizza as well. The Toscana pizza has spicy pepperoni, black olives, bruschetta mix, herbs on a homemade tomato sauce with mozzarella. The pizza is very cheesey as I reach for a piece, the cheese stretches out. Matt enjoyed the pizza and though it was a good pizza.

To finish off our winter meal, Matt and I share the fondue. I skewer up some marshmellow, strawberry and brownie and dip it into the chocolate sauce. Yassss. Simple but oh so tasty. I especially enjoy the strawberries in chocolate. It's a nice way to finish the meal with friends.

Summary: Check out Vapiano for a casual, low key dinner with friends or the family. It's simple and hearty! The pumpkin soup and the fondue are here for winter so catch them while you can.

Price: $20ish for most mains

Location: Corner of King and York St, Sydney 

Opening Hours: 
Monday to Thursday 11am to 11pm
Friday, Saturday 11am to 12pm
Sunday, 11am to 11pm

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of the venue or their representatives. All photos, opinions and words are my own.