We’ve been to Mad Cow, Sushi Choo and est... This week, our Merivale Winter Feasts adventures continues on to Ucello, the Ivy’s rooftop Italian diner with views of the surprisingly modest Ivy Pool Club.
It’s a stylishy cosy restaurant, with candle lit circular banquettes and striking yellow cage ornaments.
ucello
The Winter Feasts offering here is not unlike the other restaurants – a mix of signature dishes and the less impressive alternatives. Luckily, my dining company has no trouble picking out what we want to eat and we manage to cover off most of the options on the menu.
Ucello's Winter Feasts Menu
We were brought a modest bowl of herb bread and bread sticks to start us off.
Bread with olive oil
A little less than 20 minutes later, two waiters waltzed over with our four entrees. Apart from the small portion, I was quite pleased with my order of garlic prawns. They were beautifully succulent and sat in a smooth tomato based broth, light enough to sip on its own.
Garlic prawns
Mr. Taste tells me that the sausages were pretty ordinary. He also points out the weird texture of the pureed broccoli – not something he wants to try again. The chilli oil was a much welcomed addition.
Roman Pork Sausage
The surprise of the evening was definitely the fettuccine. It was amazingly good. The pasta was cooked to perfection in a rich, Alfredo sauce that was neither heavy nor boring. Our only gripe was not having enough of the fettuccine! I’d definitely revisit Ucello for the pasta.
Fettucine Alfredo
The penne – which Mr. Taste chose – was just as nice. Beautifully rustic and homemade, the sauce struck the perfect balance between depth and flavour.
Penne Putanesca
I stupidly chose the silver dory as my main (why would you choose fish in an Italian restaurant?!) and paid for it sorely. The thinly sliced piece of dory was very ordinary and didn’t bring anything new in terms of flavour. No doubt the weakest dish of the night.
Silver dory
Out of the three desserts we chose for our last course, I enjoyed the tiramisu the most. Quite a generous serving, the tiramisu was wonderfully chocolaty, with hints of coffee and marscapone.
Tiramisu
The gelato was also nice but the liquer berries were a bit too much for the dish. Of course, when eaten with the gelato, the flavour in the berries popped.
Tutti Frutti Gelato
I didn’t get much of the profiteroles, but the spoonful that I did have tasted a tad stale.
Profiteroles
While I may not have enjoyed this meal as much as I did with Mad Cow, it was still a wonderful experience that definitely warrants a return visit to Ucello.
Ucello
The Ivy
320 George St
Sydney City
# 02 9240 3000
www.merivale.com/ivy/uccello
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8 comments
The fettucine looks great, and it’s a nice surprise to find a well-made tiramisu!
i remember loving their tiramisu at the merivale launch parties. mmmmmmm
I’ve heard lots of good things about the fettucine, so it’s definitely a good choice. And appreciate your honest comments about the fish!
omg this place looks so amazing!!
Looks like a good meal (aside from the fish that is). The fettucine looks delicious!
I definitely a fan of Ucello and will go back. My only gripe? That a restaurant which serves 40 doesn’t have its own bathrooms? Now that’s odd.
Having to head downstairs and use the changerooms of the Pool Bar is a unique experience; especially after someone’s just used the stall for a shower.
Despite booking a week before and following up with a call the day before, the table I had requested was not available to me and yet remained unoccupied until I was offered it at 1430. Room was great. Food was average: 1 entre 2 mains 1 desert, 2 beers, 1 bottle of wine @ $85, 3 glasses @14.50 …total with $40 tip (not sure why!) was $340. Not again for me.
We turned up without a booking last weekend and were told that we could get a table but had to be out by 8.30pm. No problem..we knew we were pushing our luck…but as it turned out we were able to stay for as long as we liked. Just as well because we possibly had the best meal, in the best venue, served by the best waiter I can remember in a long time. Ucello is a must-visit if only to watch all the beautiful people!