Bacco Wine Bar , Sydney CBD

After a full one hour of emailing back on forth , choosing which new place to try out with my friend, we finally decided on Bacco Wine Bar @ Chifley Square for dinner.

Bacco Wine Bar Pasticceria is located on the ground floor of Chifley Square in the Sydney CBD. It's a pity that their pasticceria is only open on weekdays up to 5pm.
The only time I could go there is when I have my dentist appointment and with fluoride still on my teeth, purchasing some cakes LOL

We arrived at 6.30pm, and there were only a few tables of businessmen & women winding down the day with some wine.
Their wine cellar is all glass and located outside the restaurant, and if I remember correctly, it is right underneath the centre's escalators !

As we walked in, there were some pasta making going on in the open kitchen. All their pasta are handmade and made fresh on the spot.

Open kitchen on the back ; Grapevines chandelier on the wall

We were told to sit anywhere we like, so we chose one of the booth. Although it looks cosy and pretty, it was a bad idea after all...because it is really dark -___-  *dum dum*

Candle lamp ; Wine Menu ; Glass of Wine & Sparkling Water

After our drinks order were taken, we were asked if we are having dinner as well. It appears that people usually just have wine and nibblies here :)
And yes...we are eating and boy....did we eat .....

Fiori di Zucca ; Caprese Bruschetta

I ordered Fiori di Zucca, zucchini flowers filled with Italian mozarella, lightly fried and topped with tomato compote. Okay, not quite topped with the compote, it is served in a small dish on the side.
This is good stuff ! It is not oily at all, the zucchini flowers are sweet and stringy mozarella...mmmmm...
There are 6 flowers served on a bed of greens in the one serving.

My friend on the other hand ordered the Caprese Bruschetta, Italian bocconcini cheese, cherry tomatoes, basil & oregano on wood fired sourdough bread. There are 3 large slices of bread and the toppings are generous. It's a pity that there was only a single leaf of basil and miniscule amount of oregano. It is still lovely though, just need more herbs and it would have been perfect.

To be honest, I was not expecting such a big portion of entrees, and then we start to worry...
If the entree were of this size, what would the main be like ? -__-;

Of course we must try out the pasta after watching the chefs in action earlier.
With the pasta, you have an option to have it as entree or main sized, the difference was only around $5.
As per usual, hunger over ruled commonsense - we both opted for main sized pasta.
Big mistake...

Trofie Pancetta & Pecorino - trofie pasta tossed with guanciale, fresh tomatoes & Italian Pecorino Romano cheese

I was panicking when my plate was set down...how am I going to finish this ?!??!
There is a huge mound of trofie pasta (pasta that has been rolled on flat surface until it rolled around) and I am already quite full from the entree.
The pasta was cooked al dente, the cubed pancetta is crispy, the tomato based sauce is light and refreshing. It was very good indeed...unfortunately I was too full and couldn't finish everything *sorrryyy*

Ravioli di Asparagi - ravioli filled with fresh ricotta & asparagus, tossed in thyme, cherry tomato sauce & Italian Parmesan cheese.

My friends ravioli was delicious as well. The filling is light with chunks of fresh asparagus, and the sauce is thankfully very light and not cream based *phew*
The portion was generous as well (although not as heaped as my trofie !), I think there were about 8 or 9 large rounds of ravioli.

At this point....you can probably rolled us around the floor...we are that full *burp*

But how can you go pass the dessert , Misto di Dolci - selection of 3 desserts of your choice from the pasticceria for $15 !!
Since their pasticceria selection varies on daily basis, they do not have a menu for them.
Instead, the waitress took us on a tour LOL
The pasticceria is located outside the restaurant, near the entrance to the centre, so off we go, skipping behind the waitress  *la la la la*

Bacco Pasticceria Display

"You can choose any 3 from these" said the friendly Italian waitress (btw, everyone in Bacco is Italian, can't go more authentic than that !).
She patiently described each desserts to us while we are still ooh ahh-ing, deciding which 3 to pick.

What to choose ? What to choose ?

After finally choosing our 3 desserts, we skipped back to the restaurant while the waitress stayed back to make our tea and get our desserts.

The much needed peppermint tea to calm our bursting tummy 

So what did we end up choosing ?

Pannacotta ; Zaffelano Anguria

Pannacotta with seasonal fruits, which happens to be raspberries and apricot. The pannacotta was smooth and not too creamy at all. The sweetness is balanced by the sourness of the raspberries >__<
I cannot go pass anything topped with macaron :P
Zaffelano Anguria is a shortbread of orange blossom, with cured watermelon and berries, saffron macaron & rose. I loveee this one ! The shortbread is really good and the orange blossom aroma is quite subtle. The watermelon is cured in lime juice cured in red wine balsamic vinegar (thanks for the correction Ja :D) and it really goes well with the sweet base.

And last but not least...the 3rd dessert....

Formaggio Pomodoro & it's cross-section

Obviously we chose this out of curiosity, walnut sponge with tomato jelly, sweet feta cheese and sugared parmesan tuille ...hmmm..
And the verdict ?
It's really hard to decide whether I like this or not. I don't mind the sweet feta cheese & walnut sponge, the tomato jelly and parmesan tuille I'm not too sure about.
The tomato jelly is like eating tomato juice but gelled, and the sugared parmesan tuille, well..it's salty yet sweet.
BUT ! If you eat them all together, it actually tasted good. It is a bit out there, but somehow it works ^_^

We left extremely satisfied and walking out slowly and rubbing our tummies.
There was just way too much food ordered for 2 girls LOL

Next time we will be smarter in ordering, get few of the Antipasti & Spuntini and maybe a Primi to share and of course the dessert ^_*
Definetely coming back again, friendly service, nice atmosphere and the food is very reasonably priced and delicious.
A perfect place to relax after work ...why is my office not located in the CBD area ?!?! Darn.....>_<

Deserted Chifley Square at night