La Favola - Authentic Italian Newtown
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La Favola eats better than it looks; but that’s not to say the space is unattractive. The King Street restaurant, which opened in February 2018, is clean and welcoming - brightly lit in warm, white tones. White painted bricks, tiles and minimal decorations help the small room - densely packed with pale tables and little wood and metal stools - not seem too poky. A blonde wood frame and hanging leafy ferns also help create a sense of spaciousness, distracting your eye from the exposed building fixtures, while still keeping height. At the front of the room, a brick counter is backed by a row of wine bottles and a menu board that explains the steps to designing your own pasta creation. It was this menu format, along with sitting on a stool in a cafeteria-style arrangement, that had me fooled into thinking La Favola was going to be a fast and convenient pasta eatery, something like Newtown’s ever-popular The Italian Bowl. So when our Carpaccio ($20) lands I’m a bit taken aback. With wafer-thin slices of raw beef dressed with truffle oil, crisp kale leaves, capers, rocket, Parmesan cheese and blobs of truffle mayo. it is round and particularly satisfying if you manage to get everything in your mouth at once. By the time our second entrée, a special of Calamari, Rocket and Cherry Tomatoes ($25), arrives, it’s becoming clear that everything that comes out of Chef Fabio Stefanelli’s kitchen is as attractively presented as it is simple and flavoursome. The delicately cooked calamari is tender with a big coal-cooked punch. It’s presented in a cast iron skillet with garlic oil that’s still sizzling, adding to the wonderful smellscape emanating from the open kitchen. Scooped onto Sardinian flatbread – pane carasau – with lightly wilted rocket and bright cherry tomatoes, it is fresh and summery. Spying a typical Italian drink shelf in one corner - Bacardi, Smirnoff, Aperol, Disaronno and Campari - I imagined the list of Italian cocktails that could be made with that selection. I didn’t think of the Caprese Cocktail ($15) based on the tomato and basil salad by the same name, though it’s what I ended up drinking. Think of it as a white Bloody Mary – fresh and summery with a white rum kick – perfect for a blustery hot evening. My dining companion kept it simple with a 2016 Collefrisio Vignaquadra Pecorino ($15) – floral, lemony, and great with seafood, which worked out well, because our chosen pasta was a house-made Gnocchi Seafood Ragu ($35). Topped with a perfectly cooked Balmain bug presented in the half-shell, the bisque-like sauce was great. While I found the gnocchi itself a little soft for my personal preference, it’s less about overcooking then it is about it being freshly made (two hours earlier) with ninety percent potato and ten percent flour. We contrast it with a design-your-own pasta selection from the regular menu. Casarecce Tucker Dal Bush ($22) takes the restaurant’s authentic Italian brief, and situates it here in Australia by using lean kangaroo mince and bush spices in a bright, acidic Mutti Pomodoro San Marzano sauce. It’s nice to be eating a sustainable, environmentally friendly meat in a convivial environment, that’s filled up around us with diners of all ages and nationalities, from students to people on their way home from work.
Jackie McMillan
00
This little gem sure has a wonderful tale to tell - through its Nonna inspired dishes, handmade, perfectly cooked al dente pastas, sauces that let the ingredients shine, buzzy atmosphere & attentive service. Before you even walk in, there is a buzz coming from inside and a large tray of handmade pasta on display. As soon as you walk in you are made to feel welcome by the staff. Then the action from the open kitchenette with chefs expertly tossing pans & the enticing smells make you salivate. The menu is concise yet hard to decide on as everything sounds delicious. The housemade foccacia is super fluffy & spongy, served warm. A chosen accompaniment of mortadella was delicious. Cant go wrong with creamy decadent burrata & this time it was served with ribbons of grilled zucchini & cherry tomatoes. Fresh and tasty. Then there are the pastas. Carbonara was so good & the Amalfitana was superb, espectially with the addition of the half marron. Paccheri pasta was the perfect vehicle to scoop up juicy blistered cherry tomatoes, sweet prawn meat & that delicious bisque. The pasta has a really good bite to it, the sauces full of flavour without being overly salty or oily. I loved every bite & over indulged for sure! The tiramisu is one of my favourite desserts here with its perfect balance of coffee soaked sponge & light creamy layers. But the special dessert of chocolate caramel tart was a highlight! Perfect crisp pastry, decadent gooey caramel & a rich velvety chocolate ganache. It tasted better then it looked. The cocktails are also wonderful here as well as a few delicious Italian wines including the Montepulciano & Primitivo. Absolutely Fabulous!
Princess Greedyguts
00
I'm a regular here and have not had a chance to share my delight, when I dine here. When the Buratta is a special starter, I'm always on to it. Their pasta is exceptional, as it's handmade with lots of love. With a range of different sauces and pasta shapes, you cannot go wrong for a top pasta! My favourite is a Dal Mare with the casarece pasta. However, if they have a gnocchi, do not go past the delicious pillows of potato that fill your mouth with whatever sauce is on offer. There's always room for dessert and I rarely go past having their creamy, light and splendid Tiramisu. This is like no other. Not to overpowering in coffee flavour and sugar. The perfect balance of all the flavours, to make an end to your dining experience - supreme! One more thing... You want a digestive? My favourites are the limoncello, creama limoncello or manderinetto. Boom! It'll hit the spot! The chefs cooking your dinner on display is a bonus. It's a novelty to be sitting close to the action, as they arabesque across the burners, mastering what they do best. Chef Fabio, takes moments from his busy service to acknowledge his guests and makes them feel at home. The chefs always are accommodating to the diners dietary requirements, where possible. Offering a delicious alternative, if they can't. The service staff are very attentive and eventhough it's not a fine dining establishment, you are served like a fine dining diner. You want amazing pasta, you will not be disappointed. Seating is a little tight but you get over that, when the food arrives.
T Oliva
00
Overall: 4/7 Personally don’t feel the hype for this place. It generally did not feel like it delivered food or service to the quality of their price point. Super popular even on weekdays after 1830, suggest booking. They have a daily rotating burrata which we inquired about - got told it would be something sweet with peaches. Turns out the server had misremembered and that day it was pesto and eggplant, something totally different. We didn’t turn it away on the spot as we thought, might as well try. But it was strange to not even be asked to confirm whether we still wanted it. Their pasta was also a bit inconsistent - one was very well cooked, Al dente, the other slightly over cooked and too soft for our liking. Focaccia 6/7 Fantastic - super soft and light. Bit pricey though Eggplant pesto burrata: 4/7 Personally just didn’t mesh with the flavours too much. Not a fan of pesto generally. Eggplant was very well cooked and tomato sauce worked well. Just don’t think it’s the best combo with burrata. Burrata itself is way more solid than I’d usually expect, basically went all the way to mozzarella.
Adam Chung
00
The Mog Champ sends his regards. Second visit update - tried their pasta special, mozzarella, tiramisu and spaghetti carbonara. Definitely amazing pasta just like the first time I've been here. Thanks again La Favola! La Favola was a recommendation from an Italian friend of mine and they certainly did a great job suggesting it! I don't frequent Newtown that often so I'm glad I was able to visit it that night. I also don't have Italian food that much but the different kinds of pasta they had fascinated me. I felt like I learned about new types of pasta when I came here. If I recall and identity correctly, I had the paccheri pasta with the ragu sauce. It was extremely delicious and satisfying. The portions were of an average size but with a starter, it'd make enough room for a well-done meal. The service was great and the atmosphere itself was quite cozy especially at night. The spacing between tables is a little tight I believe so it can sound a little noisy but I think overall the environment is nice for Italian food! Thanks for the night La Favola! Mogliest Regards, Your Mog Champ
The Mog Champ
00
We recently visited La Favola. For entree, we tried the zucchini flower stuffed with potato and cheese. While I liked it, my husband wasn’t a fan, so it wasn’t a unanimous hit for us. What stood out most, however, was the lack of chicken options on the menu. We love chicken pasta, but there were no chicken dishes available, which was quite disappointing. Without chicken options in the pasta, we decided not to order any pasta dishes, but the waitress kept coming back every five minutes, insisting we try other dishes like pork pasta, which we aren’t fans of. So we thought of having our main course at another Italian place which had chicken options available at that time. The constant pressure to order more by the waitress made us feel uncomfortable. It’s the customer’s choice to place additional orders, not the restaurant’s decision to push them into it. This level of persistence really dampened the overall experience for us. We wanted to enjoy a relaxed meal, but instead, we felt forced and pressured throughout our visit. Sadly, this is not a place we’d be in a rush to return to.
Rhaksha H
00
Nearby Attractions Of La Favola - Authentic Italian Newtown
Enmore Theatre
Carriageworks
Camperdown Memorial Rest Park
Mapo Newtown
Gelato Messina Newtown
Camperdown Park
The Urban Newtown
1989 Arcade Bar
Carriageworks Farmers’ Market
Deus Ex Machina Camperdown

Enmore Theatre
4.5
(2.1K)
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Carriageworks
4.5
(1.7K)
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Camperdown Memorial Rest Park
4.5
(720)
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Mapo Newtown
4.7
(555)
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Nearby Restaurants Of La Favola - Authentic Italian Newtown
Thai Pothong Restaurant
Best Gourmet Restaurant Newtown
Mary's Newtown
Courthouse Hotel
The Italian Bowl
Macelleria Newtown
Pastizzi Cafe - North King Street
Cairo Takeaway
Gigi Pizzeria
The University of Sydney

Thai Pothong Restaurant
4.6
(2.3K)
Click for details

Best Gourmet Restaurant Newtown
4.8
(1.4K)
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Mary's Newtown
4.4
(1.3K)
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Courthouse Hotel
4.4
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Basic Info
Address
170 King St, Newtown NSW 2042, Australia
Map
Phone
+61 2 8021 0002
Call
Website
favola.com.au
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.5
(838 reviews)
Ratings & Description
Description
Intimate Italian eatery offering make-your-own pasta dishes, plus cocktails, wine & cooking classes.
attractions: Enmore Theatre, Carriageworks, Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, Mapo Newtown, Gelato Messina Newtown, Camperdown Park, The Urban Newtown, 1989 Arcade Bar, Carriageworks Farmers’ Market, Deus Ex Machina Camperdown, restaurants: Thai Pothong Restaurant, Best Gourmet Restaurant Newtown, Mary's Newtown, Courthouse Hotel, The Italian Bowl, Macelleria Newtown, Pastizzi Cafe - North King Street, Cairo Takeaway, Gigi Pizzeria, The University of Sydney

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