I Maccheroni, Woollahra

In association with the Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG), I check out I Maccheroni. I Maccheroni has relocated from Rose Bay to Woollahra. The new cosy location makes for a great venue for Friday night date night. It's rainy and windy and I'm glad it's warm inside Maccheroni.

I Maccheroni is basically booked out on this particular Friday night with walk ins - having to wait for the second seating at 8pm. It must be popular with the locals.

Matt orders a Birra Nazionale which is an Italian beer. I'm on antibiotics so I stick to water this evening. To start off, Matt and I share the Mushroom Arancini ($14)  with truffle aioli. These arancinis are perfection, crunchy on the outside with flavoursome warm, mushroom and rice in the middle. The truffle flavours from the aioli also mix in your flavour palette. Mushroom, rice and truffle flavours are a winning combination. How moreish.

Next up, there's the Smoked Cured Trout Carpaccio ($22) with preserved lemon, salsa verde, red mustard cress, crostini. In contrast to the arancini, the smoked trout is a cold dish that has mildly citrus tones. The salsa verde is bold in flavour and dominates the natural taste of that smoked trout. My personal palette would have loved more citrus tones and perhaps a less dominant sauce. It's still an enjoyable dish to eat.

The signature is the Tortelli Spinach ($32) with reggiano 24 months with a burnt butter and sage sauce. The pasta is really thin and very delicate and I find myself breaking the pasta as I pick it up with my fork. The pasta is freshly prepared. You can visibly see the spinach in a bulge that sticks through the pasta. The burnt butter and sage sauce is delicious and subtle in flavours. I like the crunchy sage leaves. It's very tasty and I'm wishing there was more on the plate.

The Maccheroni Osso Bucco ($30) with spring onion and sun dried tomato tastes like a homely made dish. The thin maccheroni pasta dishes are springy in texture. The sun dried tomatoes and meat sits in a light watery broth which sits at the bottom of the bowl. Matt prefers the Tortellini Spinach but says he still enjoys this dish as well.

If you're looking for more bold and rich flavours - I'd recommend the market fish ($36) with jerusalem artichoke, spanish onion, broccolini, red pepper crumbs. This dish is served up with rich sauce which remind me more of French cuisine. The fish is buttery in the mouth and I enjoy eating the soft spanish onion and buttery broccolini. 

For contrast, I'd recommend the special - The Red Cabbage with montasio, pecan, apple and balsamic ($12). What really brings this salad together is that creamy, bold, cow's milk cheese Montasio. I almost mistake the cheese as it has similar bold flavours to blue vein cheese but Matt quickly corrects me. The fresh, crispy red cabbage leaves bring fresh relief to all the buttery components of the market fish.

For dessert, Matt orders the Ricotta Tiramisu $12 with macadamia crumb. I like how you can see the layers of the ricotta in between the lady fingers. I opt for the special dessert on the board - Creme Caramel with fuji apple ($11) which has this crunchy and thick layer of caramel on top. It's almost toffee texture as it gets stuck in my teeth. The caramel is nice and is mellow in sweetness.

Summary: Overall, I really enjoy the traditional flavours at I Maccheroni. The flavours are generally on the subtle side so you can enjoy the main ingredients in natural flavour form. My favourite dish was the arancini which is a must order! I also enjoyed the Tortellini Spinach. Check it out y'all!

Price: Mains $30-36

Location: 3 Jersey Rd, Woollahra

Opening Hours: 
Closed Monday
Tuesday to Sunday 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Sunday 5pm to 9pm

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