Sydney Italian restaurant Patio@Putney opens with flair

A LONGSTANDING eatery at Putney has undergone the biggest overhaul in its history.

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A LONGSTANDING eatery at Putney has undergone the biggest overhaul in its history.

What used to be a cafe called Jaspers Place has become Patio@Putney — a well-styled restaurant serving modern Australian food with an Italian influence.

Rest assured, this transition is more than just a change in appearance.

Patio@Putney has a pleasant, contemporary interior. Picture: Virginia Young

The owners have hired a new chef, Davide Furlan, who has been given licence to introduce a new menu with his culinary imprint.

Mr Furlan hails from Italy, and worked as a chef in several European countries before making his way to Australia.

His signature dishes include yellow fin tuna fillet ($32) and slow cooked pork belly ($29).

Mr Furlan is keen to make his mark in Sydney, and believes there no shortcuts to a good dish.

“Everything is made with patience and time,” he said.

“When you make something, you need time and love.”

So confident in the Italian’s pedigree, the business is for the first time open in the evenings.

Bruschetta. Picture: Virginia Young

We sampled some of the newcomer’s repertoire and started with an Italian favourite, patio bruschetta ($11).

Our tomato pieces had been delicately chopped and evenly distributed to cover our two chunky slices of toasted bread.

These pieces glistened under the light, and with a couple of basil pieces on top, tasted as good as they looked.

Spots of balsamic glaze had been artfully placed round the sides of our plate, and were welcome in complementing the flavours.

Next we tried a main dish.

Lamb rump ($27) arrived, and we were presented with a few good-sized chunks sitting atop potato gratin.

Lamb Rump. Picture: Virginia Young

The lamb cooked evenly through, and the potato one of the more enjoyable servings we’ve had.

Rounding out the dish were a delicious splash of pumpkin, and silverbeet which had been carefully fried.

To finish, we tried one of the fancier desserts, hot heart dark chocolate lava ($12). There is nothing to fear here, despite the name.

Hot heart chocolate lava. Picture: Virginia Young

Strawberry ice cream sat on top of chocolate cake, with slices of strawberries and raspberries arranged around our plate.

The dessert is so-named for the way the chocolate oozes from the cake once its sliced.

It’s a rich combination, and one we enjoyed with the drops of strawberry sauce deposited across the dish.

True to the chef’s word, there appeared to be plenty of care taken with each of our dishes.

This is a smaller-sized restaurant, so booking may be advisable.

The patio, if you’re wondering, is to the side of the restaurant and a great place to dine in the sun.

Patio@Putney is at 83 Charles St, Putney, 9807 3331.

The writer’s meals were provided by Patio@Putney