Sapore di Napoli @ Kingsgrove

It is nice to see that Kingsgrove has started to grow a little over the past year or so. With the new development at The Pottery, new shops, supermarkets and restaurants have started to breathe some life into this sleepy little hub.

Seeking a dining destination for a dinner with friends (and kid friendly), Sapore di Napoli was suggested. Nestled in the square of The Pottery (across from Woolworths) this well lit busy open restaurant is just the ticket for 5 adults and 4 kids on a Saturday night.

2GB radio has voted Sapore di Napoli No 1 choice by customers (according to the sign out front) and offers the authentic woodfired pizza. Always striving to find the best meals, here I am.

 

 

 

 

Once we are settled with drinks (and wine buckets eventually) we catch up while choosing what we are going to share.

We start with the special of the evening. The Antipasti platter which has a selection of marinated artichokes, marinated capsicum, salami, shaved parma, olives, tomatoes and rocket, cheese and a ball of mozzarella. It’s a decent starter for the five of us.


 

 

We also went with a serve of Crocchette di patate con bufala (potato croquettes with buffalo mozzarella. 

 

The kids share a garlic pizza and a  bianca con prosciutto cotto (hold the chilli) and they are happy campers reading books (yes I know!) and chatting amongst themselves.

We all end up having a piece of the garlic pizza because it looks so good.  It's fluffy and full of toasty garlic!

 

 

The bianca con prosciutto cotto (hold the chilli)  looks good too.  There is something about cream based sauces for pizza and the fior di latte is gooey and cheesy.

 

Penne Vodka – penne pasta with bacon, cream and vodka. Surprisingly this cream based pasta sauce is light (or is it the vodka?). I love penne because the sauce gets inside the tube and coats the pasta more (I'm sticking with that). Smokey nubs of bacon are delicious.

 

Another share bowl is the fettuccine tri colore with Italian sausage, cherry tomatoes in napoletana sauce. the simplicity of this bowl of pasta is what makes it a winner. The intense tomatoes flavour is so yum and the pasta just past al dente. Very comforting dish.

 

Couple of  pizzas for the adults makes a very carb laden meal, but tasty and yum all the same!

Pizza Contutti Carne – tomato base, fior di latte, beef mince, italian sausage, spicy salami, caramelised onion and olive oil.

I have to admit the pizza is pretty good.

Pizza Garlic and Sausage with San Marzano tomato base, fior di latte, Italian homemade sausage, garlic and rosemary

I like the use of fior di latte, the stretchy curd melts easily and goes all gooey on top of the cheese. Nubs of sausage through out with hints of garlic. I like this pizza!


Fior di latte is fresh mozzarella made from cow’s milk rather than the traditional buffalo.
  

 

 

When there is room for dessert I have to take advantage.  Sapore di Napoli are well known for their homemade gelatos.  The stracciatella was calling my name.  What is that?  Vanilla gelato with chocolate chip.  Plain and simple but the perfect dessert.

 

My friends went with something a little traditional and had the cannoli. one filled with vanilla and one filled with sweetened ricotta.  the filling was lovely and light but unfortunately the pastry was soggy, which was the only small let down.  I like them crispy!

 

 

The kids finished off with the nutella pizza with strawberries.  By the look of it all around their mouths I think they enjoyed it very much.  and secretly who doesn't love nutella on a pizza!

 

 

I was delighted to find yet another restaurant in my area that is casual and fun and family friendly.  It's BYO as well as licenced.  The service, although very friendly and outgoing was a little hit and miss, where we had chase up a couple of requests (like an ice bucket for our wine, but that is okay.  It was busy and we eventually were given what we needed.   They also hold functions if you are looking for a venue for a private event.

 

 

Mappen @ Bondi Junction

For those that have been long time readers and or know me personally, you know of my love affair. It's a love affair that is comforting, loving and it's warm embrace is welcoming and needed on occasions. It was love at first sight and has deepened over time. It’s faithful, loyal, trustworthy and never stands you up. That love affair is with Mappen on George street in the city.  

 

 

So when I was recently invited to dine at Mappen at Bondi Junction I was curious and intrigued by the menu. The Bondi restaurant offers a combination of the menus from Mappen, Oiden, Tenkomori and Dera Uma (all owned by the same company) which gives a lot of flexibility and choice and it also serves Japanese alcoholic beverages including Japanese Orion beer and sake (and for the record I have recently become a sake convert all thanks to Yuri at Washoku Lovers).

 

 

Tough choice when there are various restaurant dishes on the menu but we eventually come up with a worthy meal!

 

I grab a tray and head on down the line, first ordering out soup and rice then pick and mix a selection of tempura which is kept hot under the lamps. Next up is the cold salads and desserts.  Then you pay at the end.  Easy.

 

There is a small condiments bench where I fill up on shallots and mounds of crispy tempura pieces (my little guilty pleasure!)

 

Check out the tempura goodies. 

 

 

I have ordered a sake (cold), which is served in a cute square Japanese cup. As a Washoku Lovers members, you can add a side of pan fried gyoza (3) for $3 with your sake. That’s a great deal.

 

 

 

 

Our table is laden with delicious food and after a few snaps (yes I few LOL) we are ready.

 

So here from top and clockwise we have the Wagyu BBQ Beef bowl, gyoza, chicken katsu, prawn tempura,  udon soup with chilli tofu mince and daifuku.

 

 

 

 

I have gone with my traditional udon with chilli tofu mince with pickled mustard greens.  Silly me forgot to order an onsen egg to go on top (insert sad face here).

 

 

 

Yes I may have walked around the restaurant to pose my bowl of soup above.  Below is where we ate at the communal tables.  I just love my udon soup topped with shallots and lots of crispy tempura. The broth is light and full of salty flavour and the fat, silky udon are slippery and chewy.

 

My dining partner for the evening is Mr M  and he starts with his pan fried gyoza and says they are really good.  I didn't try one tonight. Followed by the BBQ Wagyu beef rice bowl with coleslaw, pickled ginger and sesame seed.

 

 

 

 

The wagyu beef is tender and sweet and delicious.  The crunchy coleslaw is a nice addition and good texture.  The beauty of the rice bowl to is that you can choose your size bowl making this a great way to portion out your meal (depending on your appetite).

 

After my bowl of noodles, I have saved my tempura bits for last.  I bite into the crispy prawn tempura and the prawn is delicately cooked and the tempura is super crunchy. I am always intrigued how they keep it hot and crisp.

The chicken katsu is perfection. Crispy and perfectly cooked chicken thigh its super tasty and I nibble on it through out the meal. I love it.

 

 

 

Ending our meal with daifuku but we are full so I take them home to have later.  Here we have the lovely pink sakura daifuku. Filled with a not so overly sweet red bean, it's a lovely way to end the meal.  I also had the black sesame daifuku too.

 

  

 

Mappen Bondi is the perfect spot for a casual meal or snack. The many options and variations available makes for an easy choice for those that just don't know what they want of for those that want a bit of everything.

 

*Roofood dined as a guest of Mappen and SD Marketing.  Thank you for the invitation.

 

 

Travel Photo of the Month - August 2015

Better late than never!

Reflecting on my time in Dubai recently I realised that the Burj al Arab, being the only '7* hotel' in the world is probably one of the most photographed hotels in Dubai.  Built on a man made island some 280 meters off shore it's definitely one of the main landmarks in Dubai.

Here it is at night, the sail lit up in purple, the colours rotating through the rainbow every few seconds.  It is a beautiful piece of architecture from all angles, particularly sailing past it.

 
But have you seen inside the Burj al Arab? 

Being one of the most expensive hotels in the world with the Royale Suite being nearly US$20,000 I can only imagine what it would be like to stay here.

I did however have High Tea here one day while I was living here and although there was sandstorm which wiped out all sweeping views over Dubai (worst timing I know), we did get to explore inside.

The centre of the hotel reception area is open all the way to the tip of the tower, offering a pretty spectacular atrium.

 

That is the opulence of Dubai!