What better way to end off a work week than to eat well? So off I went to Da Paolo Il Ristorante with a colleague and an ex-colleague. We were greeted by the attentive staff and brought to our seats.
After placing our orders, bread arrived. The slices of baguette were delightfully soft and you could tell it was really fresh. The butter was unsalted and tasted good. The olive oil was rich, full, and tasted good too. I'm not sure how does one describe good olive oil but you know it when it's good!
We had the smoked salmon with arugula drizzled with yoghurt as a starter. The sharp and bitter taste of the arugula certainly wakes up those tastebuds! It complemented the smoked salmon and yoghurt well.
I had the braised veal shank that came with a tomato-based sauce and roasted vegetables and potatoes. I left the potatoes alone 'cos I really don't like them. The sauce was lovely and the veal was braised very nicely.
My ex-colleague ordered ravioli with veal also came with a tomato-based sauce. It tasted pretty good, but not fantastic. It's not something which makes you go "WOW!"
The fried beef tenderloin which my colleague had was the winner of the night. The marinate was fantastic--so juicy and full of flavour. It also came with some duck liver which my colleague attested to be absolutely delicious.
Of course, we ladies always have a separate compartment for dessert. I had to, of course, try the tiramisu. The ex-colleague opted for the same and the colleague went for this dessert made from egg white and white wine. It came in this wine glass with a biscotti on the side. It was like a froth of egg white whipped together with white wine. Delightful!
Service was good and the wait staff attentive. But be prepared to cough out a lot of money even without ordering wine. Tap water isn't served and a bottle of still water costs $8. Expect to spend about $60/person without ordering wine.
Da Paolo Il Ristorante
80 Club Street
Tel: 6224 7081