Vizio Café e Cucina, is in William Street, a stone’s throw from Hyde Park, St Mary’s Cathedral, and the Australian Museum.
The Restaurant
There has existed in Sydney, for as long as I have been dining, an Italian enclave of restaurants near William Street, between Riley and Stanley Streets. Originally, Beppi Polese opened his eponymous ristorante in 1956. Others followed, and there has been a succession of excellent ristorante ever since. Vizio is a welcome addition to this fine heritage.
It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Like all good restaurants it has had trouble with staffing post COVID, but on our visit the wait staff were courteous and clearly well trained. Service was friendly and attentive.
The owners of Vizio are Matia Zoffoli and his father-in-law Alessandro – a fixture in the Sydney restaurant scene. Matia is another fine import from Italy. This time from the lovely beachside town of Cesenatico, in Emilia Romagna, where his parents still run a seafood-based ristorante. It always amazes me how young Italian chef’s and ristorante managers are so well trained. It really must be in the blood.
The chef at Vizio, is Salvatore D’Alterio. He is well credentialed and brings authenticity and flavour to everything he produces. He brings the true taste of Italy to the plate.
The décor is modern with polished concrete and a large bar. The restaurant will cater for groups and also offers degustation menu at $79 and $95pp. I think this would be a worthwhile experience. There is a very good selection of interesting and unique meals on offer at Vizio. I certainly look forward to taking a group of friends back soon.
Cocktails
This was a difficult choice. Vizio has over 90 speciality Grappa’s on display and an excellent selection of house favourite cocktails. Matia even has a specially printed fold out Grappa Bar menu. The cocktail of the day was a Gin Truffle Sour, which my colleague ordered. For me, Matia recommended a smoked mescal and tequila Old Fashioned with a burnt orange segment ( I could see Matia with his blow torch giving it a caramelised crust). Wow, it was amazing.
The Menu
Antipasti
The antipasti selection has something for everyone, with a good Vegetarian – Gluten free component as well.
On offer were:
- Sicilian Olives; Homemade Focaccia;
- Fresh Burrata (V-Gf) with Avruga Caviar, Chives, Extra Virgin Olive Oil;
- Smoked Swordfish Carpaccio (Gf-Df) Rocket, Peppercorn, Lemon Chimichurri;
- Calamari (Df) Cucumber & Jalapeno Mayo, Lemon;
- Wagyu Bresaola (Gf) Rocket Salad, 24 Month Parmigiano;
- Arrosticini (Gf) Lamb Skewers, Salsa Verde;
That is quite a selection. So, it was a little hard to choose. In the end we opted for the fresh burrata in a basil infused oil – with home made focaccia. There was a generous dollop of caviar on the top to add a little salty tang. The burrata was deliciously creamy and the basil infused oil was superb. The best olive oil makes a world of difference.
In addition, we had the smoked carpaccio of Swordfish with lemon chimichurri. Each of these was a delight. The fresh burrata with the delicious extra virgin olive oil was very moreish, but the smoked swordfish was really a stand-out. I am not normally a fan of swordfish, I find it a bit dry when cooked, and have never had it as a carpaccio before. It was really excellent with a slight smokey flavour which enhanced the delicate flavour of the swordfish. I would definitely recommend this.
Pasta
- Spaghettone (V)Tomato, Stracciatella, Basilico;
- Ravioli (V) Buffalo Mozzarella, Porcini Mushroom, Parmigiano;
- Squid Ink Tagliolino (Df) Baby Squid, Garlic, Chilli;
- Tagliolino with a truffle oil drizzle, poached egg and fresh WA Truflle generously sliced at the table.
Obviously, the Talgioni with fresh truffle had to be tried – it being the end of the Southern hemisphere truffle season. I have had many truffle dishes in Italy, and here in Australia, but I think this was the best pasta with truffle I have ever been served. The pasta was better than al dente, it was heavenly. The insouciant flavour of the oil, together with the fresh pasta, topped with a soft poached egg, and a generous layer of fresh truffle, was beyond mouth watering.
Secondi
- Caserecce Slow Cooked Veal White Ragu, Sage;
- Wagyu Flank Mb5+ (Df-Gf) Cauliflower, Leek, Jus;
- Northen Territory Barramundi (Df)
- Asparagus, Salsa Verde 42 Baby Cos Lettuce (Gf-V)
- Orange & Carrot Vinaigrette and Broccolini (V) Garlic Compote & Chilli
There was a special of 30 hour slow cooked pork neck with vinaigarette Tropea Onion segments on a mash of cauliflower mash with a truffle jus.
The pork neck was a meal to be shared. Let’s be clear, you are not going to walk out of Vizio hungry!
Dessert
Matia provided us with a complimentary duo of Nutella mascarpone tart with fresh raspberries as a palate cleanser.
We finished off with a chocolate fondant with fresh strawberries and apricot jelly. Delicious.
Wine
There was an excellent selection of moderately price and premium wines on offer. I was veering towards a Trentino Pinot Grigio but Matia suggested a Pinot Gris from the Institute Agricole at Aoste. It was lovely. Crisp and dry. Perfect for our meals.
As a digestif, Matia suggested I taste one of his premium Grappa – a Paolo Berta 1999. It came in a very elegant bottle and was caramel in colour. Easily one of the most refined grappa I have ever tasted.
The Review – 4 Stars
It is a mystery why I have not been to Vizio before. I am very lucky that an old friend has recently moved in nearby and has been visiting Vizio for lunch and dinner ever since. He has been cajoling me to visit for a month or so. Thank goodness that he did. This is now on my go to list for fine Italian dining. I look forward to going with a group of 4-6 people to try the degustation – just so I can appreciate the other superb meals on offer.
Bon appetito
Check out Vizio’s website here: https://viziocc.com.au/
Location: 1/52-58 William St, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011, Australia
Phone: (02) 9358 2231
