SMH Good Food Guide 2022 - Listing & Review
A rural Italian dining experience in rural NSW.
“Moments after you’ve taken your seat in this former haberdashery store in the time-capsule town of Carcoar, host Kelly Picarazzi welcomes the 20-or-so gathered guests to her and engineer-turned-chef husband Paolo’s “restaurant that’s not a restaurant”.
Inspired by the locandas of rural Italy, each of the fixed menu’s courses is paired with tales of the dish’s history and the provenance of the ingredients.
A plate of honey-drizzled local cheddar and porcini mushroom salami sprinkled with pistachios and a tale about Ciociarian goats, or al dente cacio e pepe introduced with stories of the dish’s shepherd origins.
From the BYO-only wine self-poured into ceramic mugs to the amiable-but-insistent “have it our way” hospitality, every moment of this memorable dining experience reinforces that opening proclamation that this isn’t your average restaurant.”
Tristan Lutz, SMH Good Food Guide, February 2022.