Ormeggio

The word 'spit' is an unnecessary visualization accompanied with an air of disgust, so when I hear a restaurant's location ‘at the Spit’, the first thought that comes to mind isn't fine dining. 

Low and behold, Ormeggio sits just there in one of the most inconvenient locations to a non-local, before the moving temperamental bridge with not a single turn off beforehand to save you if you miss the spot. 

Walking towards Ormeggio I was anxious I got the restaurant wrong and all this stress from driving was to no avail.  But past the boat shop, a small dated sign that said 'Ormeggio' confimed we were (thankfully) in the right place.

Finding a fairly large dim door after fumbling through the boat store we were greeted by a lovely maître d who asked "Were you looking for Ormeggio?".

He welcomed us through the large door revealing a quaint and intimately lit restaurant. 

We were seated at one of the most beautiful locations, looking out onto the water and with views of the bridge. 

We were also greeted by our waitstaff, Luca and Alessandro who kindly took care of our drinks and services for the rest of the evenin., Both lovely and both extremely full of knowledge about any of our relentless queries. 

Picking the 'A trip Through Italy' option, finding it was only about $10 more expensive than the a la carte option, we were looking forward to what was in store for the night.

Starting an evening off with cocktails, 

Oysters, topped with Granny Smith Gel, Rhubarb and Shiso leaf

A trio of oysters to start us on our way was a must-have considering the location of the restaurant and its proximity to water in general. The oysters came served in a pot plant-like dish, making the oysters appear as blooming fresh flowers. 

The pops of colour and glimmer of briny liquid was a delight to see as they arrived at the table.

On first bite, the tiny dollop of apple gel was the perfect intensity and amount to counter the tangy taste that the rhubarb released. 

The flavours of the sweet and savoury of the small delicate oysters were in perfect balance. 

Eggplant Parmigana

A trio of snacks arrived at the table suggesting that maybe this isn’t just a thing that one or two restaurants were doing and is likely to be the movement of the future.

The first of the trio is the eggplant parmigana which looked like a beautiful pillow with a generous serving of sauce. Very much resembling an actual parmigana visually, biting into the pillow the inside was soft and warm. The eggplant wasn’t too overpowering and mostly the lovely aromas of cheese and tomato permeated the senses more than anything. A very delicious morsel, and a nice starter to the upcoming dishes.

Truffle Pecorino

This dish arrived with a generous helping of shaved pecorino cheese atop a polenta rectangle. As soon as the dish hit the table, an immense smell of truffle filled our nostrils. The polenta provided a sturdy and basic base for the truffle to attach and infuse. The pile of pecorino enhanced the earthy truffle flavour whilst also adding a contrasting saltiness. A simple combination with bold flavours.

Veal Tonnato

Perched on a beautiful log was what I initially thought were tacos. 

Our waiter explained it was veal tonnato which is somewhat  similar to a tartare. 

The tonnato was topped with a mayonnaise-like sauce and wrapped in a crisp outer 'taco', drawing similarities with a ceviche too. 

The veal was quite gamey and lean, the fattiness was infused with the creamy mayonaisse style sauce, contrasting with the little cubes of veal. 

This was my favourite from the three, it was a unique and a textural delight, displaying elegance and finesse whilst being a fun bite size starter. 

Organic white sourdough, Ricotta, chives and black pepper

As is common practice at degustation restaurants, bread and butter is served early throughout the dining experience, but this is my first experience of being served anything else alongside butter.

The bread itself was warm and soft inside with a delightfully crunchy crust. Nothing necessarily spectacular but a certainly good bread. The star of the show was the ricotta; thick and rich with a generous smear all over the bread was absolutely divine. The combination with the fresh chives with a slight kick of pepper was a perfect combination. Thanks to Ormeggio, I feel like all restaurants should serve ricotta with their bread.

Tuna Tartare

The first course for the evening was an ocean’s take on the steak tartare. 

The dish certainly resembled a steak tartare and was quite similar to the taco-like snack we started the evening with. 

Tuna, often seen as the beef of the ocean, shines as a rich and soft meaty option alongside pops of briny roe in every bite. The potato crisp was thin and delicate with each mouthful.  

Carnoli Risotto, Calamari, Green Peas

A seemingly small bowl of risotto was also a mini artwork on its own.
The mixture of colours; yellow, black and green were bright and vibrant and certainly reflected the exuberant flavours of the colourful dish. 

Often risotto runs into an issue being too bland, however, this particular risotto was bursting with deep flavours from the stock and bursts of calamari in every bite. 

Personally, although it seemed quite small, it was particularly filling and as one of the starting dishes of the night I was already starting to feel very full. 

Porcini Consomme

This seemingly boring little bowl contained one of the richest clear soups I've ever had. 

The earthy porcini flavour shone through, showcasing the bright and flavoursome mushroom in all its glory. The consomme was delightfully clean and clear and although savoury and rich, it was quite refreshing overall. A nice clean palate cleanser for the upcoming dishes. 

Charcoal Spanish Mackeral, Mussels, Rice, Potato

Since visiting Japan and trying horse mackerel sashimi, I've found a new love for the delicate fish and am now a self-proclaimed mackerel fiend.

The mackerel at Ormeggio had a lovely smokey flavour and was nice and delicate. The puffed rice that sat atop the fish provided a range of texture. The mussel is presented on the plate alongside little morsels of buttery potato. Although the dish was nice, I was a little disappointed by its bland flavour. Overall, it seemed quite single dimensional.

Bottoni filled with parmigiano and roasted malt

I was so incredibly excited when this dish came to the table - little pockets of pasta parcels absolutely brimming with molten cheese! My dream come true. 

As you can imagine the pasta exterior was perfectly al dente and the hot parmesan interior was gorgeously smooth and creamy and just fragrant. The roast malt added a smokey flavour to the dish adding a short break in between the richness of the cheesy pasta. 

My absolute favourite dish of the night. 

Suckling Pig & Salsa Verde

As soon as you hear 'suckling pig' you know it's going to be a good one.
With a crisp thin skin and a moist interior, the Ormeggio rendition of a suckling pig was a little more refined than the usual hacked up version I get at some Chinese restaurants. The pork itself was salty and lifted with the herbiness of the salsa verde sauce. I wished this little bite was more generous. I would've preferred a little bigger cut and smaller risotto from the previous dish.

Cheese platter crockery 

Just a quick note to say how beautiful the cheese knife is at Ormeggio. We sat there in complete awe of the beauty and craftsmanship of the knife, and I'm now on a hunt to find one for my own. 

By this point the restaurant started to fill up and get increasingly busier. We noticed that the wait time between dishes was becoming a little more apparent. A waiter kindly suggested a cheese board prior to dessert, which we happily took on. The table near us declined and we found there was a significant wait between the dishes as we ended up receiving desserts at the same time post our cheese board.

Half Portion Cheese platter

I absolutely love the cheese board’s presentation - almost like opening an advent calendar day by day. It's surprisingly generous serving size so I'm very glad we only got a half portion. 

Whipped Ricotta, Almonds, Orange

The first dessert was a muted and refreshing dessert to begin. This dessert wasn't too sweet with a bigger focus on textural differentiation. The smooth ricotta contrasted with the bites of almonds, funnily enough, the almonds also creamed into a smooth texture. The orange flavour shone through but wasn't too overpowering on top of the dish. 

Overall quite pleasant but not too sweet. 

Apple Strudel

From what I remember, I thought apple strudel was German so I was expecting a tiramisu rather than a strudel. But it was actually quite refreshing to see something different. Ormeggio took all the key elements of the humble apple strudel and broke it down.. The biggest star of this dish was the burnt crumb that aligned the bottom of the plate as a base, reflecting the crisp topping you'd get if you bought an apple strudel from a bakery. 

I found this dish pretty well balanced between the sweetness of the creamy elements with the sourness of the apple. 

Overall, Ormeggio was a lovely experience and the ‘Trip through Italy was a more than generous as different dishes celebrated beautiful produce and Italian cuisine.

Personally, I would've liked it if the dishes came with an explanation of region of origin to really cement the 'Trip through Italy' feeling. That aside, the staff were extremely attentive and very friendly from the start to finish.

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Written by Jay Santiago (@eatventures_) 

@mister_eats
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