La Tratt, Fairfield
Howie told us of a dinner he had in Fairfield one day. “It looks so fancy that you’d think it’s a restaurant somewhere in Darlinghurst if you didn’t know you were in Fairfield,” he joked.
Intrigued, I filed La Tratt away for whenever the opportunity arose (which, naturally, took some time).
Olives and Bread with Balsamic Vinegar
We didn’t have a booking, but came early enough to snag a table (they get busy around 7.30 / 8pm). Our hostess asked if we wanted to be seated in the lounge area a bit before moving to our table. Puzzled and slightly bemused, we responded that being seated at our table would be fine.
Olives and bread arrived shortly after we were seated, which we tried not to finish too quickly (famished as we were) as we planned our dinner.
Entrée
Spinaci e Ricotta Lasagne Funghi ($17)
I normally don’t order lasagne at restaurants – I tend find that whenever I do there’s never enough filling and too many pasta layers to be completely satisfying. But the spinach, ricotta and wild mushroom lasagne sounded too good to pass up, especially when made with sage nut brown butter and chestnuts.
To be honest, my first thought when I first set eyes on the lasagne, was “ooh, the filling oozed out”, but that was quickly followed with “that’s a damn good filling to pasta ratio”. The flavours itself was so earthy and lightly cheesy; I was rather disappointed that I had finished my portion so quickly.
Carpaccio di Manzo ($19.90)
F and I loved the subtle flavours of the Tagima Wagyu (score 6) beef carpaccio with julienne apples, lamb lettuce and truffled pecorino – everything was just so fresh!
Carpaccio di Manzo ($19.90)
The carpaccio was also topped by capers, organic egg yolk and anchovy mayonnaise. Yum.
D and L expected something more akin to beef tataki with its bolder flavours and so felt this dish was a little bland.
Scottato Capesante ($22)
These wonderfully juicy pan seared Atlantic scallops were on a bed of sweet corn puree and accompanied by crumbed sweetbreads, crispy pancetta and lemon-infused olive oil.
The last time I had sweetbreads, the texture didn’t sit quite right with me, so I’ve been a bit wary of sweetbreads ever since. Perhaps it was eating a smaller portion of sweetbread or the fact that the crumbed, crunchy texture balanced well with the squishiness of the sweetbread – whatever it was – I was really surprised how much I actually liked them!
This dish was an absolute, hands-down hit with the table with its bold flavours fortifying a quite striking presentation.
Main
Filetto di Manzo ($37)
L chose the Cape Grim black Angus beef fillet, which was served with a crunchy potato croquette, confit garlic cream, cep mushrooms and muscat veal jus.
She quite enjoyed the dish and when I looked again, she had pretty much cleaned the dish. Hehe an always telling sight, I think.
Pesce Con Finocchio Brasato ($32)
D opted for the Cone Bay barramundi with heirloom tomatoes, green olives, capers, braised fennel puree and goats curd.
He thought the flavours were quite good, but felt that the fish was just a touch overcooked.
Porcellino al Forno ($79 for two)
Porcellino Al Forno's sides - Salsa Verde, Poached Spiced Pears and Mustard Fruits
F and I couldn’t help ourselves and chose the biggest main on the menu: the oven roasted suckling pork with Marchetti cotechino sausage and sides of roast potatoes, salsa verde, poached spiced pears and mustard fruits.
I quickly discovered that the cotechino sausage was a bit too heavy on the meaty taste side for me (weird, I know) and that the perfectly seasoned suckling pork really needed no accompaniments (flavoursome as they were); I found that I quite enjoyed eating the suckling pork as is… and oh boy, were there a lot to get through. Perhaps there could be too much of a good thing after all! Haha. I was glad for the scrumptious roasted potatoes and steamed (?) vegetables to break up all the porkiness.
The Porcellino al Forno is such a large dish that is only available on Friday and Saturday evenings and subject to availability.
Dessert
Dark Chocolate Truffles
Our coffees and teas were accompanied with dark chocolate truffles, which were wonderfully decadent.
Pannacotta alla Vaniglia ($13.50)
The classic vanilla bean pannacotta caught D and L’s interest; it was served with raspberries, rosewater jelly, spiced meringue and blood orange. The bright and bold flavours made for such a delightful combination! I quite like the acidity from the blood orange, which I thought helped to cut through the sweetness of the pannacotta rather delicately and did not overwhelm the subtle flavour of the rosewater jelly.
Bomboloni ($13.50)
This, however, was F’s and my favourite.
Bomboloni ($13.50)
The Italian cinnamon and sugar doughnuts with vanilla bean ice cream, hazelnuts and dulce de leche was just fantastic. The doughnuts were fluffy, yet crispy, and came out quite warm – a scrumptious contrast to the coldness of the smooth-flavoured vanilla bean ice cream. F adored the fact that he could decide how much dulce de leche he could pour on (yes, F used it all up); it was worth the messiness that ensued when trying to eat a ball covered in sugar and dripping sauce.
It absolutely hit the sweet spot.
Inside La Tratt
La Tratt is located in Fairfield RSL. It’s been years since I’ve been there and I was really surprised and impressed at just how fancy everything now looks. I mean, when I went to the bathroom, I discovered why our hostess had asked us if we wanted to hang at the lounge area first – it was freaking gorgeous! I felt a pang of missed opportunity haha – definitely next time! And there will be a next time – with such great service, amazing food (at a quite affordable price) and pretty setting who could resist from coming back?
La Tratt
14 Anzac Avenue
Fairfield, NSW, 2165
Ph: (02) 9727 5000
Web: http://www.fairfieldrsl.com.au/
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By squishies
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This article was written on 28 Feb 2012, and is filed under Dessert, Dinner, Italian, Sydney, West.
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Woahhhhh suckling pig, it’s been too long since you and I hate a dinner together.
Fairfield is getting really fancy! Holy Basil’s opening a fancy joint nearby too whoo!
A platter of meat!! (And a whole cup thingy of dulce de leche for pouring on hot donuts!!) La Tratt certainly looks the part of a Darlo restaurant – if only I was in the area more often.
shez´s last [type] ..coconut cherry chunk granola bars
Inside an RSL? I’m extremely surprised! It looks amazing! And the drizzle drizzle on the doughnuts – to die for!
I know right? I drive past it every day and I still think about this dinner and how pretty the restaurant is.
Both beef dishes look great! And the dark choc truffles too… mmm…
I had a look around this place when I last went to Fairfield and was totally blown away. Who would’ve thought an RSL could be so stylish?! It reminds me of a really nice southeast Asian hotel or resort. Now that I’ve seen the food pics I really want to eat there!
looks like our little secret is out! hehe its an awesome place to go for a delicious fancy dinner but in the west. you’ll definitely want to go back to La Tratt soon!
I have been having a hankering – driving past it all the time really doesn’t help haha
those doughnuts look to die for (i could really do with some right now!) and perfectly matched with the dulce de leche sauce and icecream. Who could have thought such great food could be found at an RSL!
jack´s last [type] ..Japan – Shinjuku (Tokyo)
So squishies likes the squishiness? lol. Have heard much about this place. The rosewater jellies look so pretty, and from this angle the dark truffles remind me of Sepia’s Japanese stones.
Helen (Grab Your Fork)´s last [type] ..Pepe Saya Butter, Tempe
Haha Helen, very funny =P heheh
Oh! That’s what I thought too!! Those were so delicious… mmmm
I seriously can’t believe you can find a feed like this in Fairfield.. so close to home!
Tina @ bitemeshowme´s last [type] ..Europe 2011 Snapshot Part 1
Same! I wanted to check out the other restaurants in Fairfield RSL, but heard the Vietnamese restaurant isn’t as good as La Tratt.
Heard also that there’s some really fancy restaurants in Penrith Panthers too! I must check them out too…
It does look different from your usual RSL eatery but that can only be a good thing! The pork platter is, of course, impressive but equally so are the bombolini – I’d be happy with just the donuts and the ice-cream but the addition of dulce de leche just makes it all the more decadent!
Rita (mademoiselle délicieuse)´s last [type] ..Hong Kong Series: Congee, noodles & rice
Looks absolutely wonderful and exciting Italian
WOW! It looks sooo good, especially the scallops…ah…I want to try this place now!
That Boboloni looks like the highlight!!
I never knew that there was such a nice restaurant in Fairfield. XD Putting on my must try list.