Libiamo

Since being suitably impressed with the takeaway pizza we have visited Libiamo for pizza and to dine in at their restaurant. The combination of great food, service and being local means were now regularly visit.

Our most recent visit was with family, which was a plus because we got to road test a wide range of the menu not just our usual favourites. As there were some older family members with us we checked to make sure everyone liked Italian, just to be on the safe side, all said “aye I’ll eat anything”. Perfect! We get there, are seated and begin pondering over the mouth watering meals on offer, when Grandma tells us that she does not like pizza and pasta not just one particular pasta dish or pizza, but all of them. Laughing loudly wouldn’t have gone down too well so I hide behind the menu trying not to laugh. Apparently Grandma still feels that she likes Italian cuisine and isn’t at all fussy. Still at least she didn’t announce that it was all “foreign muck”.

We ordered carpaccio di tonno (tuna) and garlic pizza bread to start followed by grilled snapper, capricciosa pizza, fig and prosciutto pizza, mushroom and parmesan tagliatelle and the house speciality passatelli. This is hand made bread crumb and parmesan pasta with cherry tomatoes, marjoram and prawns.

The carpaccio, thin slices of Yellow fin tuna marinated in olive oil, thyme and basil is amazing. The flavour is subtle with a velvety texture and a great introduction for first timers to raw tuna that leaves you wanting more. After a slightly longer than desirable wait between courses we were rewarded with meals full of flavour. The quality of the Italian sausage on the capricciosa pizza sets the bar and the sweet salty combination of fig and prosciutto is one for the rapidly expanding favourites list. This is perhaps a more sophisticated alternative to ham and pineapple which apparently they eat in Hawaii. The passatelli is rich, surprisingly light and comes with a generous amount of king prawns. The snapper was cooked perfectly, what was even more impressive was the skill and patience of the chief when they filleted and skinned a whole cooked fish as one of the group didn’t like the head or fins left on – the Italian food lover again.

The waiting staff, as ever are attentive and regularly glided around the table to refill water and wine glasses ensuring we waited for nothing.

As all too often I find myself too full for dessert but one day I will get to the Torta di mele – apple cake with Cointreau or the tortino di cioccolata a decadent chocolate fondant both look as good as they sound.

Libiamo Italian restaurant consistently pleases both on the food front and the all too often overlooked but nonetheless important service.

Tags: Italian, Pyrmont, Restuarants

About the Author

Gareth Englishman in Sydney loves a whisky, pies and all things savoury. Digital Marketer by day, cook the rest of the time. Amateur writer, photographer & aspiring anthropologists.