Sarino’s Bella Vista, La Boucherie Baulkham Hills, Entrata Glenhaven among Hills’ best restaurants
Save that hefty Uber fare to the city and spend some time sipping on fancy cocktails at plush bars and feasting on international cuisine in your own backyard.
Hills Shire
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Whether you’re pining for Italian, French or Middle Eastern food, your ticket to the world’s finest cuisines will take you to The Hills.
From delicious desserts to funky cocktails, here are some of the best restaurants to try.
ITALIAN STREET KITCHEN
If you think Italians do it better, one of Bella Vista’s newest additions to the fledgling lakeside dining hub will only give more weight to that opinion.
We were immediately won over by Italian Street Kitchen before we even sampled a morsel of the feast that was our late lunch on a Wednesday afternoon.
Lining The Esplanade’s new dining strip, ISK’s interiors are a riot of colour and a refreshing change from the spartan, neutral furniture favoured by contemporary restaurants (concrete walls aren’t exactly inviting).
The design strikes the right balance of cosy and contemporary with an eclectic art deco-beach vibe of panelled mint walls and benches with flamingo and floral cushions, and pot plants suspended from the ceiling. The floor depicts a sandy shore with footprint makings.
The feature wall is lined with framed photographs of gregarious Italians, landmarks and cookbooks.
The 120-seat restaurant is the fourth ISK to open following branches at Neutral Bay, Meadowbank and Zetland, and despite belonging to a chain, it has its own character, from the kaleidoscopic decor to diners’ habits.
“Here the people like enjoying their time and like to sit on the table for a long time,’’ chef Enrico Marchese says.
“Normally the kitchen is closed so you cannot see outside. Working in this one is very nice. The view is open.’’
Enrico is the twin brother of Giulio, who is ISK’s food manager and worked for over a year to develop unbleached flour for their pizzas after collaborating with Italian company Le 5 Stagioni. Enrico is equally proud of the imported product and he cradles a bag of it like a baby.
We’re soon sampling it after taking up floor supervisor Lachlan Walker’s suggestions of diavola pizza (fior di latte cheese, salami, cherry tomatoes, portobello mushrooms, parmigiano-reggiano and basil) along with the Anguriana (watermelon, gin, Campari, mint and soda) and an Aperol spritz, the perfect beverages to complement lunch on a hot, sticky day.
This would have been more than satisfying for the two of us but that’s not going to ever be enough with Italians helming the kitchen.
Enrico and fellow chef and Italian Antonio Malfara are keen to showcase a slew of dishes, with generous servings of cheese and bread.
Soon our table is filled with golden polenta chunks, wood-fired Italian cheese, wood-fired bread sticks, saffron pappardelle ossobuco, gnocchetti sardi salsiccia and paznereare and panzerotto mortadella and pecorino.
Next-level, spectacular and sensational are adjectives we throw around during our meal and most of my praise is reserved for the gnocchett, a boldly-flavoured dish of well-seasoned pork and fennel Italian sausage, chilli, garlic, Tuscan cabbage and aged pecorino cheese, garnished with crispy sage. What a delight.
The prized flour is once again kneed for the panzerotto — a deep fried pizza dough folded and filled with buffalo and Sardinian pecorino cheese.
Marchese’s favourite dish is the pappardelle ossobuco. “For me it’s very nice, heaps of flavour because inside is thyme, sage and tomato sauce,’’ he said.
“It’s traditional.’’
The separate compartment in our stomachs enables us to split a dessert of Sicilian Italian sandwich gelato. Expect a more-ish, slightly toasted brioche bun sweetened with berries. It’s the fitting finale for a memorable lunch.
Italian Street Kitchen, L03/11 Solent Circuit, Baulkham Hills
LUSSO TAPAS
COVID-19 might have muted any plans for overseas adventure but it doesn’t mean we can’t get a taste of the Mediterranean just by turning off Windsor Rd and heading to Rouse Hill Town Centre.
It’s here we enjoy a cosmopolitan jaunt to the shopping mall’s alfresco dining strip where Jordan Bisher helms the chic tapas bar and restaurant.
Lusso’s sleek black bar is illuminated with an array of tempting dishes inspired by Spain, Italy, Syria, Turkey and Greece.
Tapas allows an element of excitement knowing you can feast on more than one dish without the inference you’re an overeater (though we often plead guilty to that).
Dinner starts with a very festive lychee martini fused with vodka, pineapple juice and a blue curacao to give it its dazzling hue.
We order the mixed Mediterranean dips on a recommendation from a vegetarian friend and soon scoop our pita bread with vibrant dollops of beetroot, hummus and carrot purees.
I hope said vegetarian mate also sampled the zucchini flowers because they were the standout of all the share plates that graced our table, thanks to their delicious tempura batter encasing the ricotta, parmesan cheese and parsley.
Try the pan-fried mushroom saute and savour the chilli, garlic and white wine sauce. For the authentic taste of Spain, opt for the chorizo with onions and capsicum which perfumes the air as it is delivered to us.
The octopus is cooked in a similar salsa but glazed with balsamic dressing and is very tender.
We have to stop somewhere so leave the very enticing looking pulled pork sliders (mini brioche burgers with coleslaw), creamy garlic prawns and white bait (floured and deep fried served with aioli) for another visit.
Likewise the fried potato cubes — topped with a garlic and coriander dressing — which is also Lusso’s most popular dish.
If your hunger desires one substantial meal, there is a main menu with dishes including traditional and vegetarian paella, and gambas agilio (sauteed garlic prawns served with rice and wood-fire bread).
Tapas translates to cover the lid in Spanish and they certainly have it covered at Lusso’s.
Lusso Tapas, 10-14 Market Lane, Rouse Hill Town Centre
AL ASEEL RESTAURANT, CASTLE HILL
I last ate at Al Aseel Greenacre more than a decade ago and became a fan of its five-star Lebanese fare served in the humble Waterloo Rd eatery, replete with tissue boxes atop tables.
Back then I could see why many members of the Lebanese community rate it as the real deal, with a la carte meals that branch out beyond the chicken, hot chips, pickles and aioli (for the record: we love these equally), and leave a permanent impression on the palate.
That was long before the 22-year-old institution spread to Penrith, Alexandria, Wollongong and Castle Hill, and will soon swing open its doors at Bankstown Sports Club.
The Castle Hill restaurant has been open for more than a year and survived COVID-19 by serving takeaway meals but has fortunately returned to in-house dining and I am ready for an a la carte feast.
It turns out my choice of the lemon and garlic chicken is the most popular dish at the stylish restaurant.
Chicken breast pieces arrive on a plate swimming in a wickedly creamy sauce that gives it a bold flavour synonymous with Lebanese cooking.
It’s the kind of meal that becomes your go-to.
An Aussie touch is added with beetroot dip and the barramundi in the samkeh harrah, a very satisfying, tenderly-cooked main with coriander and pine nuts embedded in the dark, fluffy siyadieh rice, perfect for mopping up with the tahini and chilli sauce. It also provided a delightful leftover lunch the next day.
Perhaps purists would frown upon offerings such as the barramundi, and the Cypriot-inspired haloumi but the Castle Hill manager Fady Ibrahim says Al Aseel has been around for decades for a reason.
“They earned their own respect due to quality of food, the generous portions of food, taking care of their clients,’’ he said.
“The menu is traditional food is familiar to Lebanon, 100 per cent,’’ Mr Ibrahim said.
“We have our own fusion, if you want, but mainly it’s the traditional taste of Lebanon in Australia.’’
My meal is washed down with a tangy lemon and lime mocktail that serves me well on a sticky summer day, while others can take advantage of the well-stocked bar that includes wines from Lebanon.
Mr Ibrahim ensures we don’t leave without a traditional Lebanese dessert platter showcasing baklava crafted at Al Aseel Sweets Greenacre.
The pastry was hard to fault – flaky but not too rich. We’ll be back and it won’t take a decade to return this time.
Al Aseel, 15/6-14 Castle St, Castle Towers shopping centre
LA BOUCHERIE
I’m eagerly about to sample snails for the first time. And La Boucherie at Baulkham Hills is a great place for the foray.
The escargot is fat and pretty with swirly shells that wouldn’t be out of place on a beach and are placed before us in pool of garlic, truffle oil, mushrooms topped with chives. Mop up the sauce with the accompanying baguettes or scoop it like soup.
We are fans of the escargot, which have a mushroom-like texture and make a classically French starter.
Sydney doesn’t have enough French restaurants but thankfully The Hills has La Boucherie, which translates to butchery, and delivers traditional, rich dishes a la a Parisian bistro, with a touch of fusion.
Sabrina Marcel opened the restaurant in November 2019 and weathered the COVID-19 crisis with takeaway meals but now the return of in-house dining is the perfect opportunity to relish the food in the atmospheric restaurant while listening to French music and savouring dishes from former Rockpool chefs Sean Sharan and Mark Lee.
The chefs are visible from the open kitchen, a feature Marcel is proud of, along with the rustic burgundy decor and antiques but mostly, the meat served at the restaurant, which was previously a Thai eatery.
“It’s a simple restaurant, it’s for everybody,’’ Marcel said.
“You can eat meat in a lot of places but there’s meat and there’s meat. We’ve had so many people tell me it’s the best meat they’ve eaten for a while.’’
Case in point is our delectable ribeye with a mash potato side. The knife cuts through the steak like butter, while the red wine jus complements the perfectly seasoned main. Eye fillets and wagyu are the other cuts on the menu.
Sharan and Lee rest the meat for at least 20 minutes before cooking, allowing the blood to be released and the protein to set.
La Boucherie, with the expertise of consultant Eric Neugnot, is tempting us with yet another classic French dish - duck l‘orange, with the citrus segments and a vibrant carrot puree complementing the tender duck breast. The other flavours you’ll detect are the roast carrots and honey.
Far from being upstaged by the mains, the sides hold their own. Go the roast cauliflower, which, Sharan explains, develops its charred, crispy taste after the whole vegetable head is roasted, broken into florets, flash-fried then rounded out with garlic.
He recommends the chocolate creme brulee for dessert, which you will appreciate if you love chocolate mousse. Sous chef Lee grew up in Fiji and whips up a mean passionfruit tart with house-made lavender and honey ice cream.
The burnt cheesecake is sensational too.
The smorgasbord in front of us has been a quintessential French feast, from the steak tartare to the duck liver pate. And we can’t wait to sample the winter menu.
La Boucherie French restaurant, 3B Old Northern Rd, Baulkham Hills
ENTRATA
Entrata is Italian for entrance and stepping into the restaurant makes a warm first impression, like entering a rustic abode replete with exposed brick walls, fireplaces, slate floors, statement floral arrangements, black and white family photos from the mother country and hundreds of wine bottles wedged in ceiling beams.
“When you walk in people think you’re in Tuscany but you’re in The Hills,’’ Melissa, the matriarch of the hospitable Pagano family, says.
“I love the feel of presenting a dish and knowing it comes from the heart and I love the way Italians eat.’’
Her husband Tony and adult children Isabella and Alexander have run the restaurant for four years, hosting ladies’ lunches, business catch-ups, dinners for those who like a modern twist with their Italian and functions, enjoyed in a massive dining room setting with a vista of the dense bush on its doorstep.
It’s probably best we go on Isabella’s recommendations for the sophisticated dinner menu, given everything looks so enticing.
The ocean trout is a joy thanks to its pine nut and mint pesto, shaved fennel, orange, zucchini and salmon caviar, a perfect marriage of ingredients that would make an impressive meal itself.
The all’aragosta bay lobster we indulged in had lots of flesh and was infused with a citrus almond pesto, butter bisque and chilli, while the generous portion of linguine added to a luxe lunch.
It’s a crime, however, not to have the Wagyu beef carpaccio. Maybe it’s the truffle mustard, pickled golden beetroot or lemon oil, or the combination of all the ingredients, but I think it’s the candied walnut that makes it special.
For our dolce, the caramelised cinnamon apple with almond crumble, Southern Comfort and vanilla gelato won over my dining companion. I can see why but if I had to choose I would recommend the torta di formaggio which is Bailey’s cheesecake sitting pretty on a ginger biscuit crust and dark chocolate glaze. You had me at Bailey’s.
Entrata, 143 Glenhaven Rd, Glenhaven
SARINO’S
It looks like a generic office block from the outside but ascend the stairs at Sarino’s and your jaw drops as it morphs into an uber-glamorous venue dripping with a labyrinth of private function rooms, cellar, an up-market Italian restaurant and a luxe bar where negroni worshipper Jacob Wicks pours the best bitters this side of Italy.
It’s possibly the swankiest production from the Colosimo family (a prolific clan in the Hills district) which has thrown attention to detail into every inch of the Bella Vista venue, from the gilded mirrors and fireplace in the largest function space to a cosy room hidden behind a book case.
Apart from being an interior designer’s dream with its “million textures and patterns,’’ the 340-seat venue, which has two levels atop Mullane’s bar, overflows with 18 signature cocktails, 150 classics, 200 wines more than 100 featured spirits, liqueurs, aperitifs and 24 of the “world’s most beautiful whiskies’’.
Those with a penchant for the Italian bitter negroni have come to the right place, courtesy of former engineering and graphic designer student Wicks, whose arrosto (Sunday roast negroni) was selected in the bible dedicated to the drink, The Negroni Cocktail Book, released in the annual Negroni Week.
“Being an Italian venue, you can’t go past negroni,’’ Wicks, 25, says.
”It’s like the quintessential Italian cocktail. It’s kind of bitter, kind of sweet, it’s just refreshing and delicious and you never get sick of it.’’
A traditional negroni contains Campari, sweet vermouth and gin but Wicks’s twist fuses melted butter with the gin, before mixing it with Campari, vermouth and smoked rosemary to evoke the flavours of a Sunday roast.
The arrosto is one of Sarino’s bestsellers and on its busiest nights, “a hefty amount’’ of negroni is prepared for easier decanting, while the bar is buzzing with jazz performances on Thursday nights.
“When it’s going, this sultry, hardcore sexual Marvin Gaye music’s going it’s mad as hell,’’ Wicks says.
It’s very much an inner city escapism bar in the suburbs.’’
He and his “gun team’’ hatch cocktails using “20 per cent science, 80 per cent theatre’’ and the creativity extends to names such as Little Samurai (Japanese whisky, Asahi Black reduction, sweet vermouth, sesame and ume).
“It’s probably one of the things I do differently from other bartenders; I come up with the name first, then work out the drink,’’ Wicks says.
Richard Kemp, who ran 11-hatted restaurant Eschalot in the Southern Highlands for 15 years, adds to Sarino’s clout along with head chef Alex Keene whose menu highlights include the ravioli with buffalo ricotta, buffalo mozzarella, parmigiana-reggiano, burnt sage butter and roasted pistachio.
The wood-fired oven is also used by the bar to smoke cocktail ingredients such as rosemary in the arrosto and the pineapple for the “undercover lover’’ bevvy with cognac, rum, Cointreau, Benedictine and lemon.
“All the best places in the world, bar and kitchen work together seamlessly,’’ Wicks says.
Sarino’s, Level 1/36 Brookhollow Ave, Bella Vista
AMARO RESTAURANT AND BAR
Amaro translates to bitter in Italian but it has been a sweet drop for patrons in the Hills district who have been flocking to the classy restaurant and bar for a tipple in a “sexy industrial’’ setting since October.
Alexander Pagano’s family has been part of the local hospitality scene for more than a decade and he saw the opportunity to create a boutique wine bar in the unlikely setting of the New Line Business Park at Dural where “ridiculously cheap rent’’ allowed him and former carpenter Joseph Cosentino to fit out the 65-seat venue with plush decor and a copious wine list offering 200 varieties, 40 cocktails and 15 amaros.
“The reasoning behind Amaro was to try and create a point of difference for this particular area,’’ Pagano says.
“We’ve been in hospitality within the Hills district for the past 12 or so years and there’s never really been a wine bar that’s provided the consumer out in the Hills district with the ability to come and try wines alongside food that has that sort of inner city vibe.’’
Pagano says locals love forgoing the hefty Uber fares that comes with a night in the city and instead indulging in “’60s to ’70s-type socialising - no phones, or where you don’t actually have to go to an RSL or the local pub to have a couple of drinks and socialise with people you don’t really wish to”.
“This way you can catch up, sit down face-to-face, enjoy a nice wine, enjoy nice food, enjoy nice company. In the Hills district everyone just wants good service, good food and a personal touch as such.’’
Wine aficionados will find their natural habitat at Amaro, where 60 per cent of varieties are imported from Italy (which boasts 2500 varieties) and the remainder are local, including a $600 bottle from the Barossa.
Once bar manager Filippo Patrizi whips up a fancy bevvy, accompany it with a meal prepared by head chef Gianluca Mastrosimone’s team.
The antipasto options are generous and we can vouch for the ricotta and pecorino-stuffed zucchini flowers. The duck fat potatoes confit with garlic and rosemary butter; Italian sausage, mixed mushroom, truffle oil fettuccine and prawns, chilli, garlic and smoked prawn butter linguine are drool worthy options to keep you lingering longer in this fine establishment.
“The identity of the business is starting to develop a little bit more,’’ Pagano says.
“Initially we wanted to be a wine bar first and then a restaurant but due to the fact that there are currently restrictions in place in terms of socialising, getting up, going to the bar, we’ve found our identity more so as a restaurant and then a wine bar.’’
Amaro Restaurant and Bar, Building 2/256 New Line Rd, Dural
QUOI DINING
Indulging in dinner at a hatted restaurant doesn’t often conjure images of suburban locations but Joshua Mason changed that when he established Quoi Dining at Baulkham Hills in 2017 and brought a posh nosh to the expanding Norwest business and residential precinct.
The evolving menu changes monthly and will throw in some surprises, including a beef tartare that is cooked and topped with pecorino for the Quoi twist.
We feasted on imaginative morsels that included the pretty scallop ceviche dotted with avocado, dill and lime, along with duck and blue cheese tarts and cauliflower and chickpea.
The aged duck’s skin was cooked perfectlyy crisp and was served alongside swede, roasted plum, native berry and an olive dip for a dash of salt.
The meat is aged for eight days at Mason’s Lindfield butchery, Le Boeuf, with the title being a nod to his penchant for French cuisine and a devotion to honing “classic techniques of butchery”.
“We do all our own butchery, which is a bit of a dying trade,’’ he said.
“Everything’s precut these days.
“We age it to develop the flavour and get the best possible flavour you can.
“It just allows us to work with thte meat better, firm the proteins up.”
Diners who opt for pork are feasting on free range pigs from Bundarra and those desiring desserts will appreciate the diminutive creme caramel which is served without the guilt, courtesy of its size and subtle sweetness.
In April, Quoi is offering a seven-course menu for $125 that includes grilled vegetables, fish, beef, two desserts and aged duck.
The ambitious Mason, who worked at San Francisco establishment Atelier Crenn under acclaimed Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn, is also expanding his portfolio with a French Australian rooftop restaurant, Ciel, planned for the Opera apartment complex at Norwest Business Park and while he says hatted status would be welcome, his priority is continuing to deliver fine food to The Hills.
“The Hills people are smart people, they’re quality people and they want to be served quality, good quality food,’’ the Kellyville resident said.
“They like a good wine list and they love a friendly smile.’’
Quoi Dining, Shop 6/8 Century Circuit, Baulkham Hills
THE PICKLED BEAR
One moment Haydn Graham is driving to a doctor’s appointment, the next he is signing a lease for a bar at a Bella Vista business park.
“I was getting a skin check and I saw a small bar for lease and put the handbrake on,’’ he recalled. I rang the real estate agent when I was at the doctor’s, made an appointment and signed a lease then.’’
Graham had four years of experience running a business under his belt after he co-founded BlackBear BBQ at Blacktown with pitmasters including Scott McCoy, and the business has boomed with Sydney’s meat lovers who are now discovering the Pickled Bear.
Graham loved the idea of a whisky dive bar and in August, with the expertise of Mark Bylsma, opened the Pickled Bear, which has former Fiddler Rouse Hill crew Morgan Tull and Melanie Estasy mixing 15 cocktails.
“I just wanted to create a place with no pokies, where people can sit down and have a chat,’’ Graham said.
“It’s friendly service, it’s more personal and we don’t have 1000 security guards standing over everyone. I understand why you need security guards but when you have a mature crowd like you have here, it’s too much.’’
A builder by trade, he fitted out the 45-seated bar with two comfy booths and adorned it with retro artwork and signage with font famous from the movie Cocktail.
When we visit, there are plenty of ’80s songs on rotation and it is hopping with “a melting pot of businesses’’, lawyers, real estate agents and workmates enjoying Friday drinks. Influencers, mums groups and locals are regular patrons. There are plans for singers to entertain the small but lively throng.
Behind the bar, Tull gets creative with concoctions such as the bar’s potent Bushwhacked cocktail (BlackBear’s Moonshine, Cointreau, coconut tequila, lime, pineapple, cranberry juices, orange bitters, raspberry cordial and a sprig of rosemary), while the lychee cosmo is its bestseller. “I’m close to 1000 of them since we opened,’’ he says, noting he was used to mixing 500 or 600 beverages at his old watering hole on a busy Saturday night.
“For me, it’s the creativity,’’ he says before rattling off facts showing well versed he is on the history of cocktails.
Other bevvies that pique our interest are the pineapple gin fizz (dry gin, pineapple and lemon juice, orgeat syrup and Maraschino liqueur and prosecco – hello!) and classics including the pina colada and espresso martini.
Accompanying our drinks are pork sliders, the South American rump picanha, which are smoked at BlackBear to give it the signature ironbark-fused flavour, and pickled veggies such as brussels sprouts and carrots.
Meats for dishes such as the pork sliders, sliced sausages and South American rump picanha are smoked to give it the signature BlackBear ironbark flavour before landing on plates at the Pickled Bear, which of course also serves pickled veggies such as brussels sprouts and carrots.
“The food’s visually amazing and tastes amazing, more than the average pub grub,’’ Graham says.
McCoy, who was a salesman before taking over the barbie in 2016, is forthright when he explains BlackBear and Pickled Bear’s success.
“We haven’t got that hospitality arrogance and we try to relate to our customers and we have a big social following,’’ he says.
The Pickled Bear, A7/24 Lexington Drive, Bella Vista
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