There is no better feeling than finding a restaurant where you can settle in for a long lunch, drop by for an aperitivo or dress up for dinner and know that the food will make the occasion.
For North Sydneysiders, that’s Cecilia.
Set on Berry Street in North Sydney, this intimate Italian restaurant brings together handmade pasta, stunning produce and a menu that is equally generous as it is delicious. Need a spot for a mid-week catch up? Cecilia. Special Friday night dinner? Cecilia.
There is plenty on the menu to make the decision to visit an easy one.
Dishes like Yamba king prawn spaghetti will whisk you away on a Mediterranean journey with handmade pasta tossed with sweet Yamba prawns, nduja, anchovies, confit garlic and a touch of parsley. It arrives at the table looking deceptively simple, before delivering layers of flavours. Rich, salty, spicy and impeccably balanced.
If comfort is the mood for the night, the ziti with 16-hour slow-cooked lamb ragu is a hard one to overlook. The lamb is given plenty of time to develop its depth, while 36-month aged parmesan and fresh gremolata bring an added richness and brightness to the dish.
Then you have an almost perfect iteration of a classic. Pumpkin risotto with stracciatella, brown butter and hazelnuts. A combination that brings together sweet pumpkin, creamy cheese, nutty brown butter and crunch. For a lighter, vegetable focussed option, paccheri comes with cannellini, spinach, roasted cherry tomatoes, chilli and pecorino.
But the menu doesn’t limit itself to pasta.
A fish of the day with gremolata crust, capers and tobiko brings a fresh and briny edge to the table. While confit chicken breast comes with herb butter and charred cos. For an even more substantial dish, the grass-fed rib-eye is served with cafe de Roma butter, jus and smoked oil.
The best way to get the full Cecilia experience is to order for the table. Add roast potatoes with toasted garlic aioli, or radicchio with stracciatella dressing, chives and croutons, pour a bottle of wine and let the menu unfold.
Seating around 50 guests, Cecilia creates an atmosphere that feels intimate without being over-crowded. The dining room is warm and inviting, making it easy to imagine a date night over pasta, a celebratory dinner with friends or a long lunch where you don’t feel particularly keen to check the time.
Then there is the Friday aperitivo.
From 5pm to 7pm, Cecilia’s atrium becomes the place to ease into the weekend. Italian-inspired snacks, spritzes, cocktails and live piano all set the scene. Think polenta churros with pecorino and porcini dust, compressed honeydew with prosciutto and sourdough crostino with almond sauce and Cantabrian anchovies.
While no one needs an excuse to catch-up with friends after work, Cecilia’s provides a pretty strong reason. Order an Aperol or Campari Spritz, choose a few snacks and stay for dinner if the mood takes you.
Cecilia’s embodies the true Italian spirit of hospitality. Bringing people together over the love of food and wine. Handmade pasta, quality ingredients, generous portions and a menu that lends itself nicely to being shared; all while set in a contemporary North Sydney setting.
Arrive hungry. Order the prawn spaghetti. Add the lamb ragu for the table. Have the roast potatoes. Open a bottle of wine. If it’s Friday, arrive early for the aperitivo.
Cecilia is an easy restaurant to recommend because it gives you plenty of reasons to return and quite a few dishes you’ll want to order again when you do.
This is one to put on your list.
