Pasta Emilia, traditional Italian in the heart of Surry Hills. We would describe it as Italian rustic, a large space for guests to dine, pasta making out the back and a gourmet store downstairs for street access.
Owner Anna Maria hails from Italy herself, from the Emilia Romagna region. She and her husband have significant experience in the restaurant industry, in Italy, Bronte and now, Surry Hills.
The menu has traditional homemade fresh pasta using traditional recipes and organic products from local farms, designed to change seasonally. The antipasto, from the the Emilia region that is famous for producing these ingredients; prosciutto, ham, mortadella, salami, olives, pickled vegetables, ricotta, parmesan, fritters with aged balsamic – the Bread (pinzemonio) was wonderful.
The famous Emilia Romagna style pasta is egg based and made on site. The pasta was al dente – we tried the beetroot spaghetti with walnut cream sauce, a beautiful pasta and the accompanying sauce worked well together and was easily our favourite dish of the evening. The duck and truffle ragu ravioli was also another top choice; fresh pasta with a tasty duck filling and a butter and crisp sage sauce.
In true Italian style, the second main course, following the pastas was a great sharing dish with beef tagliata with fregola, balsamic and seasonal leaves as well as another highlight – the creamy burrata with salad.
You also can’t go past a dessert, and we certainly didn’t, with a shared platter of flourless chocolate cake, amaretto ice cream, pannacotta, and a divine tiramisu.
It wouldn’t be a true Italian experience without wine, and we had an Italian Red from the Emilia region and a refreshing Aperol Spritz. There are plenty of choices for an authentic dining experience.
Underneath the restaurant is a garage space with a cliched vespa, walls adorned with in house produced small goods and earthen ware selling little marionette coffee, sauces, fresh frozen pastas to continue your Italian experience in your own home.
We had an extremely attentive Italian waiter, Fabrizio and we would like to thank the owners for extending the invitation and the staff for making this an enjoyable dining experience and the welcoming and friendly hospitality that Italians are known for.
A perfect setting to enjoy great Italian food with family and friends.