Baccomatto Osteria — Restaurant in Sydney

(3.5 stars) Having had a memorable meal of interesting Italian eats at the original Baccomatto Osteria in Surry Hills, I came to the relocated Randwick restaurant with high expectations. While atmospherically the new restaurant feels quite similar—it’s also located at the bottom of a medium density tower with the same marble bar and concrete minimalism—it’s a very different dining proposition.

Arriving during aperitif hour (5-6pm) we scored good dirty gin and vodka martinis ($15/each) accompanied by a tray of snacks. The martinis were stirred rather than shaken, with ice first put into the glass to cool it down nicely. They were both well-balanced, enjoyable drinks against crisp focaccia, Italian mortadella and a melange of olives. The burrata con Panzanella ($22) felt pricy for the size and under-seasoned. It’s plucked from a short list of common Italian entrees: arancini, carpaccio, polpette, prosciutto and calamari fritti. While made in house, the pastas also fail to stray far from the expected. Small silky gnocchi were enjoyable (if not earth shattering) against a tomato-based pork and fennel sausage ragu in gnocchi con salsiccia al finocchietto ($30). Spinach and ricotta ravioli were toothsome and sufficiently thin in ravioli con burro al porcini e funghi ($32), a light brown mixed mushroom and porcini butter. Focaccia al rosmarino ($7) delivered four squares of crisp flatbread glistening in oil, not ideal for dipping but the saucing didn’t really inspire a need to scrape it all up anyway. I suspect the proximity to the hospital has morphed Baccomatto into a homely spot that delivers simple Italian food quickly to those on short dinner breaks, and thus it might speak more keenly to...

The venue and service was very good, but unfortunately, we were quite underwhelmed by the food, especially given the price.

Our group comprised two families, 4 adults and 5 children, and we go out for dinner together several times a month.  At this restaurant, we spent almost double what we would normally spend when going out for dinner.  For the price, we expected a higher quality.

The 5 children shared two of the Bambini Pasta Napoli, and three of the Pizza Margherita.  All of the pasta was eaten, but only about one third of the pizza was eaten.  This is unusual for us - normally our children would eat all and more of a margherita pizza, and these were on the smaller side.  I took a bite from one of the many leftover pieces and understood why they didn't finish it.  The bread was thick and hard, and the sauce and cheese were very bland.

Two adults ordered a Tagliata each.  Both steaks were well cooked, medium rare, as requested.  We shared the Patate Arrosto which were ok, though a little mushy, and the Verdure, which were nice.

One adult ordered the pasta special, conchiglie (or similar) with lamb ragu.  It looked and tasted the same as the children's pasta, except that it had lamb in it, which seemed as though it was chopped up and pan fried.  The lamb was hard and chunky, not at all the consistency of a good ragu. The pasta looked to be from a packet.  The dish wasn't finished.

Another adult had the fish special, which she described as terrible, and at that point I didn't ask anything further as it was going to dampen the mood.  She didn't finish the meal.

Again, the service was great, and the venue is very nice, but our experience meant that we are...

Extremely disappointed and baffled as to why this place has a sign on the shop window and here on google indicating clearly they close at 11pm, when today 10/03/2020 at 9:15pm we (a group of 3 adults) entered the osteria for a much needed dinner, we had been through so much stress and grief across the road at the hospital that the only thing we needed was a warm greeting and a decent plate of something, instead we got greeted at the door by a confused, unsure and puzzled female hostess, she signalled across to either the owner or head manager (a male in a fancy hat), which audibly voiced across the restaurant that the kitchen was closed. We told them we had only entered since the signs outside clearly stated an 11pm closing time, nobody apologised, nobody empathized or seemed to care. This place is located strategically across the road from Prince of Wales hospital, the least you'd expect is empathy and consideration for those individuals who cross the road after extended hours at the hospital. Not only were we not served but we were embarrased in front many tables of dining guests who saw us get turned away. I would not recommend this place to anyone who values old fashioned kindness, courtesy and a quality service experience delivered with care and consideration. Change the sign to reflect your true kitchen hours and train your staff to not audibly embarrass your clients in front of a public audience. Horrible experience, will most certainly...