LOCATIONOn the corner of the Pacific Highway and Victoria Avenue; a five-minute walk from Chatswood train station.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAChatswood is an area best known for its Asian eateries – Chinese, Japanese, Korean – this is the place you come for yum cha, sushi trains and all manner of noodles, but take a short walk down Victoria Avenue and you’ll find a little Italian spot that more than deserves your attention. Fiorenzoni Italian Restaurant, which is a proud member of CIRA (Council of Italian Restaurants Australia), is a little 40-seat hub of Italian activity.
The Fiorenzoni menu is kept short, fresh and seasonal. Focus is given to house-made bread, grissini and pasta as well as to olive oils, meats and cheeses. So an “antipasto di terra” or an “antipasto di mare” is a good place to start your meal. Mains pose a more difficult challenge because while the menu is kept quite concise, the quality of ingredients and flavour combinations make each dish hard to resist. Gnocchi with blue swimmer crab shows a lightness of touch while saltimbocca alla Romana (veal tenderloin with prosciutto, sage and crispy potatoes) keeps things interesting. A specials board complicates your decision further with options like fettuccine with tomato, fresh tuna, baby eggplant and black olives in a tomato sauce. The portions are generous, but it’s worth your while to undo your button for a serving of homemade gelato or
zuppa Inglese. If you can’t eat anything more, at lease order a thick Italian hot chocolate to finish. On the drink front, the wine list presents a good selection of local and imported wines, however you’re welcome to bring your own for $8 corkage.
Agnes Gajewska