Zi Teresa Pizza & Pasta House

6A Coronation St

On the non-Westfield side of

Hornsby

Sydney

9476 4437

Despite the restaurant being in Hornsby for over 30 years, not once have we been there so to try something new, our family went out for dinner to the Zi Teresa Pizza & Pasta House.

As we arrived, we were faced with a cosy brick entrance, which contrasted greatly with the updated surrounding buildings. To add to the authentic Italian style, there was the typical big loud Italian boss and photos of Italian scenery hung around the room.

Hearing from a family friend that their pizza was good, we decided to test their claim by ordering 3 varieties of pizzas. The first being the Four Seasons pizza shown below. It was a creative formation of a pizza and a matching delicious taste.

Marinara Pizza

Next we had the Zi Teresa Special which just had the lot of all toppings. And the final pizza and the family favourite, the Marinara which had the typical mozarella and tomato paste topped with a variety of seafood.

To make a comparison to the well-known pizzas of Pizza Hut and Dominos, this pizza is definitely much more healthy and better tasting, with nice, crispy bases but not burnt to the crisp. The flavours are also juicy within the pizza without an excess of oil oozing out.

Despite the pizza being a bit pricey, it is definitely an authentic Italian experience to go to the restaurant. It is pizza, that actually tastes like pizza and is a recommended place if you want to feast on some genuine Italian food.

Inferno Caffe

Shop 454 (near the entrance closest to the bus stops)

Macquarie Shopping Centre

North Ryde

9888 9992

It was a wonderful occasional in our adventure to the Inferno Caffe (Inferno apparently meaning hell in latin), but the experience was far from being in hell, with 20 of us having a lovely birthday dinner in the restaurant. After a fun ice-skating session, we settled down in an exclusive area to feast of some de-lish food.

The Inferno Caffe proudly advertises its wood-fire pizza, which certainly tasted very good. I'm not very sure of the names of these pizzas but a definite favourite was the one below. On a scale of pizza however, I wouldn't place right at the top with the best but it would in the upper half of better pizzas (did that make any sense?). There's nothing irregular about the pizzas, nothing you wouldn't find in a normal italian restaurant, but with the limited choice we had, I'm sure there is a much larger variety available to try.

The pasta was again, not a particular stand out but still tasted good, nothing you wouldn't find in a general italian restaurant. The salad followed a similar pattern with the other courses, but with extra compliments on the sauce.

In all, the food was good, the service was good and the restaurant had a nice cosy feeling. Its hard to make a judgement on the limited variety we had but in all, I would say this restaurant would be a good trip if there was an urge for a traditional italian wood-fire pizza meal. Enjoy!

Passello Restaurant

Shop 145 Harbourside

Darling Harbour

Sydney

9281 3699

Among the numerous restaurants cluttered along the Darling Harbour, we managed to pick a small Italian restaurant: Passello Restaurant.

Being just by the harbour near the Sydney Convention Centre, there was a splendid view as the sun set, displaying a generous ray of light reflecting off the office buildings.

But what makes the restaurant is not just the view, but the also splendid food from what we tasted. We decided to share a plate of garlic bread, salad, pasta and pizza, gaining a small taste from the wide array of italian cuisines.

The garlic bread was typical and flawless as was the Quattro Pizza which we had much trouble picking. But luckily our final choice was satisfying with a wonderful combination of toppings and crispy base.

Quattro Stagione Pizza: Pepperoni, Ham, Mushrooms, Cabanossi,

Garlic & Onion

But a highlight for me was the ravioli. The sauce was perfectly complimentary to the ravioli pieces and I confess, I greedily asked if anyone wanted the last piece and was very pleased that everyone was being their polite selves and allowed me to eat it.

Goat's Cheese & Asparagus Ravioli: served with cream

and mushroom sauce

And to round off the night, the waiters came around with candles to complete the outside-by-the-harbour-at-sunset experience.