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Sydney Restaurants - by Maribeth

 

Il Tratto Ra Ro

December 28th 2007 01:06
Address: 100 Majors Bay Road
City: Concord
State: NSW
Postcode: 2137
Telephone: (02) 8765 8866
Email:
If you are ever in the mood to have rustic and authentic Italian food and you are situated near the Concord area, then Il Tratto Ra Ro is the place to dine. I've been to many Italian restaurants in my time, but this is the one that creates food just like in Italy, or even better. The restaurant is located in the main strip in Concord. They have street parking. However this gets very busy especially Friday and Saturday nights so I suggest booking and getting there a little earlier.

You have the option to dine alfresco style under the sheltered canopy equipped with heaters for those rather chilly nights. If outdoor dining is not your style, then you can dine inside. There are also a couple of rooms available for booking small group functions.


The decor is simple and rustic. The earthy coloured walls and ornaments gives yet another Tuscan feel. The people that run the place are true Italian and hearing them speak to each other in Italian just makes me want to travel there again. The service is friendly and welcoming. The owners, at times would personally come and meet and greet you at your table.

The most recent experience I had of this place was at my friend's birthday. She had booked one of the small rooms separated from the rest of the tables by a partial wall and a few steps up on the split-level restaurant. Our party of 15 people pre-ordered the meals, which made things a little easier. However, catering for a large group will sometimes be full of chaos, mix-ups, and late guest arrivals (ahem .... *hesitantly raises up hand*) so the whole dinner went on a little longer than expected. Still, we all managed to get through the meal, sing "Happy Birthday", have cake and time to sip some tea or coffee ..... just! Then we had to be kicked out for the next group to enter. Despite being hurried, the waiters were considerate and tried their best. We weren't too concerned about being hurried out. We had to make it to a 10 Pin Bowling reservation afterwards, anyway.


The food was just amazing. You really get a taste of that home Italian cooked meal. Every dish I've tried is simply divine. They use the freshest seafood and the meat is cooked to perfection. I ordered the Cozze al Sugo o Vino Bianco, which contained black mussels in tomato, garlic and chilli or white wine, garlic and olive oil. Simple but tastes sensational. My main was the Farfalle Salsicce which consisted of Italian sausage, mushrooms, onion, and tomato with a touch of cream. (Here I go with the creamy pasta again!)

Photographed by Maribeth Caburian
Farfalle Salsicce
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Unlike other Italian restaurants I've been to, this dish did not over do it with the cream. The servings are very generous. So choose an entree sized main if you have a small stomach. Another friend of ours ordered the Fettucine Salmone, consisting of smoked salmon, cream, shallots and tomato. Well, he is guy, so has a larger appetite than I do. He thought the serving was well proportioned and very good. It must have been, since he made two strikes in a row at the bowling alley later that night.

Photographed by Darrick Chiu
Fettucini Salmone


I definitely recommend this place if you're in the neighbourhood. There are also many gelato places to try after dinner. A nice stroll up and down the street with a gelato in your hand is the perfect way to finish off a nice evening from Il Tratto Ra Ro.

Il Tratto Ra Ro is opened for lunch on Wednesdays to Sunday from noon till 3pm and Dinner, Monday to Sunday from 6pm till 10:30pm. The average meal price is around $40, based on entree and main. BYO is permitted. Wheelchair access is available.
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Petite Papillons Brasserie

December 15th 2007 04:08
Address: Macarthur Square
Shop L035A, Gilchrist Drive
City: Ambervale
State: NSW
Postcode: 2560
Telephone: (02) 4627 4990
Email:
Website:
This Italian Restaurant is located in the Macarthur Square shopping centre situated in the Campbelltown area. There are many new restaurants and cafe's popping up there these days. They would have to keep up with the demands of the every growing population in the Macarthur Region. Pepite Papillions is not a new place. It has existed there for as long as I can remember. It has served me well, so I thought this would be a good thing to post.

This is the most convenient cafe/restaurant to dine at if you are located all the way on the other side of Macarthur Square, away from the food courts and the restaurants in the new piazza. The atmosphere takes you away from the busy shopping mall and gives a sense of being in a small restaurant in Italy. The terracotta colours and interior decorating is so Tuscan.
Tuscan Sunflowers
Tuscan Flair

The service is very warm and welcoming. Fast to provide you with menus and beverage. Foodwise, I found that a lot of their menu items contain creamy recipes. If cream based food does not agree with you, I suggest you go for the steaks because they are just divine! I only just recently tried these after much disappointment with the pasta dishes. The steaks are so tender and melts in your mouth.

As for the pasta. I would give that a miss. The servings are so large, it's no wonder people in western Sydney are getting so big! Their battered fish and chips are good and burgers also. Hmm writing all this makes me think I dine here quite a lot. Ha! that's because I tend to go here after shopping at Big-W and too lazy to walk to the other side of the huge Macarthur Square.
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