Il Baretto
496 Bourke St
Surry Hills, Sydney
It's a simple concept here. The menu is on a large piece of butchers paper on the wall. There's a specials menu that's another piece of paper. The list of food options is not lengthy, but there's plenty of choice. They don't stand on ceremony here, but the food and service speaks volumes. We started with a serving of garlic bread while we studied both menu's and made our next selections.
First choice was the homemade beef lasagne. What arrived was probably enough for two people to be honest - and it smelled and tasted great. What a substantial dish! If you're hungry, this is the meal for you!
Pappardelle is such a lovely pasta - being a bit wider than most of the other varieties. Serving it with duck ragu makes it even better. This was another tasty and substantial dish - with no shortage of tender duck meat either.
The drink options are again limited - but the house red was a decent drop. It came in a big tumbler and again - like everything else here - it was a good sized serving! We also threw in a salad - rocket, Parmesan and pinenuts - a good combo that went well with the main courses.
It's a simple place that focusses on good food and good service. Fortunately, they deliver in both departments and it's easy to see why this place has such a good reputation.
We'd definitely come back again to try a few more of the choices on the menu - or whatever is on offer in the future.