PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAYou wouldn’t usually expect to find such a smart restaurant on a suburban strip, but when you take into consideration the fact that the suburban strip in question is Leichhardt’s Norton Street and the restaurant is Italian favourite Elio, it all begins to make sense. Elio has been on the scene for 10 years and is definitely one of the classier options along Sydney’s Italian eat street. Gleaming glass frontage gives passers-by a good look at what’s going on inside; warm wooden floors, crisp tables clothed in white and a marble bar decked out in red which leads up to the open plan kitchen. It can get noisy but a clever 12 foot long print of a continuous negative image of the kitchen at full steam by local photographer (and Elio regular) Tim Gibbs, does a lot to soak up the noise and looks mighty fine as well.
The food is simple yet elegant Italian fare. Chef, Daniele Gianuzzi, was imported from Puglia over 12 months ago and has added an authentic touch to what was already a well-constructed contemporary menu. The whitebait fritters with lemon aioli are always a hit to start with, though the lightly battered zucchini flowers stuffed with buffalo milk gorgonzola achieve that delicate balance of crispiness with a cloud-like cheese centre. There are a good range of pasta dishes available as both entree and main dishes; the saccottini filled with malt braised ox-tail in a cherry tomato sauce is a standout. Try the confit of ocean trout with fresh baby fennel or the green peppercorn encrusted roast lamb rump served with potato, apple and rosemary millefoglie. Elio is ideal on those warmer summer evenings, with a choice between al fresco dining on the street or in the courtyard through the back.
Amy Looker