Jicca Dining - Neutral Bay

A new Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant has just opened in Neutral Bay - and we are very very excited. Why? Because it Ken Takenaka’s latest restaurant. Ken has been behind the very successful and popular Sushi Train in Cremorne - which is cited as one of the best in Sydney and appears in Good Food Guide lists frequently.

The restaurant is located nearly diagonally opposite The Oaks in Neutral Bay. Near the Vodaphone store where Ben Boyd Road crosses Military Road (the photo below will make it obvious to locals).

Toddler Play Zone!

We are so excited that Ken-san has included a Toddler play area in Jicca. Such a great idea, which comes from and inspired by his own son. You can see that it entertained Zach the perfect amount whilst we relaxed and read the menu.

…I can imagine that the tables next to playzone might become quite popular with parents! (though you don’t really need to be sitting right next to them). I’ve included more photos of this playzone later.

---

Menu (As of Jan 2020):

---

Bruschetta (2 pieces, $8.00)

Fresh tomato, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, baguette.

Bruschetta is one of those items we love to order as a starter in Italian restaurants. Jicca’s is up there with the best we’ve had, very fresh, very tasty and quite morish.

---

Wafu Natto with Vongole ($16.00)

Wafu is the soy-based, japenese-inspired, pasta sauce. Vongole is “with clams”.

My wife ordered the Wafu Natto with Vongole and it is a perfect demonstration of a Japanese-Italian fusion dish. The soy and natto were done in a careful way as to not be too strong or overpowering (as both of these ingredients can be). My wife was a big fan of this, and is keen to try other variants.

---

Carbonara ($15.00)

Fresh cream, parmigiano-reggiano, bacon, black pepper, egg.

Carbonara is one of my favourite pasta dishes, and I was keen to try Ken-san’s version. The first thing that jumped out at me was the very carefully soft-cooked poached egg sitting on top. It reminded me of an onsen-egg you’d get in a ramen dish. I immediately broke that into the pasta - and quietly smiled at how it’s a unique take on how Italian’s would use raw egg and allow the heat of the pasta to cook it into the dish.

The dish was really delicious and surprisingly light for a creamy carbonara. The sauce was lighter and more liquid, but that didn’t detract at all - in fact I was happy for it as I don’t want to walk out feeling ill.

As you can see by the next photo, I didn’t really enjoy it…

---

Kids Cream Bacon Spaghetti ($8.00)

An example of the kid’s cream bacon pasta. A generous serving for a toddler. Zach managed to consume about half of it, and we took the rest home for later/another meal.

---

French fries ($5.00)

We ordered a side of fries because we often like to have them up our sleeve for Zach. They were really good, and a good-sized portion.

---

Hojicha Crème brûlée ($5.00)

Roasted Japanese Green Tea Crème brûlée

This is an amazing dessert and I would recommend that you order it. My wife isn’t a dessert person, and I don’t typically enjoy Crème brûlée’s but we both loved this.

Somehow it managed to thread the needle of not being too sweet, yet being a great dessert.

My wife wanted a larger serving size, and I said that next time we could order one each!

---

Some more shots of the play area;

---

PRO:

• Delicious food, made by an amazing chef (*he’ll be embarrassed I said this).

• Toddler playzone is amazing. We loved it so much, it was nice to RELAX.

• Great location that has a fair amount of street parking (Note: you might have to contend with people parking at The Oaks).

CON:

• Some items on the menu could use more explanation. The staff are great, but I could hear a few people question what “Wafu” was.

• I’m not sure I can get the Crème brûlée takeaway.

• (As it is newly opened), there isn’t a phone to book a table just yet - but it’s walk in currently.

OVERALL:

We are so happy and excited that Ken has opened this restaurant. Based on this experience we’ll be coming more often.

---

Details:

Address: 99 Military Rd, Neutral Bay NSW 2089

Phone: Currently N/A (you can reach their Facebook Page)

Site: Facebook Page

Instagram: @jicca_dining

MAP:

 

You can check out other REVIEWS here.

You can read the rest of my BLOG here.

Totti’s - Bondi

My wife discovered Totti’s when we were hunting for a good place to eat around Bondi. We went for the first time less than a fortnight ago, and I’ve been haunted by their delicious Rigatoni (see below) ever since!

Located on Bondi Rd (up the hill from Icebergs) Totti’s is a Merivale location that is just perfect for a summer Italian meal. It’s tucked beside / next to The Royal Bondi pub - but once you walk in you’ll forget about the pub part nearly instantly.

---

Menu (as of December 2019);

View fullsize

---

Antipasti selections

Clockwise from top; Wood-fired bread ($11.00), Prosciutto ($16.50), Olives ($8.00), and Salami ($8.50).

When we first visited Totti’s we were in a rush and foolishly decided to skip the antipasti menu options. After seeing how great all the options were on neighbouring tables - we very quickly knew what we wanted to try. All the options were great and of high quality.

TIP: If you are ordering pasta, save half or a third of the wood-fired bread for dipping in remaining pasta sauce(s). This is a pro Italian tip.

From another angle, to give you an idea how high the bread rises from being freshly made in the oven.

---

Rigatoni ($28.50)

Rigatoni, milk-braised pork & chilli

Here is what my mind is calling ‘perfection pasta’'. It’s hard to describe how happy I am eating this dish. It’s rich, delicious, and just what I want. The delicious pork is merged with the right amount of cheese and chilli to create a dish that blew my mind when I first had it - and was just as amazing the second time.

This time we had spare bread to dip in the sauce - a must.

---

Bucatini vongole (with extra chilli, $29.50)

with chilli and garlic

My wife’s choice is an outstanding seafood pasta. She always orders extra chilli for pasta - and they get it exactly how she likes it. I only got to sample a few bites before it disappeared - but suffice it to say it’s a hit.

---

Baked Eggplant ($11.50)

Baked eggplant, chilli & pangrattato

This is a side that we ordered on a whim, and has become a much needed order. The freshly baked eggplant has a very tangy and spicy chilli coating.

---

PROS:

• One of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in Sydney

• Have yet to try anything on their menu that hasn’t been delicious

• Great waitstaff / Highchairs for babies!

CONS:

• Parking on Bondi Road might be difficult

• A bit too expensive to come more frequently

• You may feel sad finishing your meal / dish

OVERALL:

We loved Totti’s so much we had to get a second visit in before the end of the year. I can forsee this being a place we visit at least a couple of times a year.

---

DETAILS:

Address: 283 Bondi Rd, Bondi NSW 2026

Phone: (02) 9114 7371

Site: Totti’s (Menu)

Instagram: @tottis.syd

MAP:

 

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccolini

I made this pasta last night and it was so good that I immediately had to share the recipe. My wife sent me a link and bought all the ingredients to make it - like a personalised Hello Fresh kit. It’s fairly quick and simple to make and yields a large amount of pasta.

Ingredients:

• .Orecchiette pasta, 500g

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (1 for cooking sausage, 4 for sauce)

• Italian sausages, removed from casings, 500g

• 5-10 garlic cloves, minced (or approx 2 tbsps worth)

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1 bunch of broccolini (approx 2-3 cups worth), cut into small pieces

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon chili flakes

• 3 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

---

Method:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette pasta and cook according to package instructions (approx 10 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium high heat. Crumble the sausage into pan and cook, breaking apart with a spoon (or kitchen scissors), until lightly browned, 5-6 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic; cook for 1 minute more.

4. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil, chicken broth, broccoli, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan to release any meat that might be stuck, until the broccoli is tender-crisp (approx 3-4 minutes).

5. Stir in the butter until melted and simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce. (Note: it will seem like a lot of oil & butter, but there is a large volume of pasta).

6. Drain the pasta well and add to pan. Stir through sausage and broccoli mixture, along with half of the cheese, to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. (Note: you may need to adjust salt to taste).

7. Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls and pass the remaining grated cheese at the table.

---

Cooking the sausage

finished result (needed to add more chilli flakes!)