What: The Italian Kitchen
Where: Lambton Park Hotel, Morehead
Street, Lambton
Prices: Entrees $14 to $16; mains $21 to $26, Tuscan share platter, $36 for two; desserts $9
Chef: Mark Hosie; sous chef Joel Lennox
Wines: Good selection of Italian, Hunter, other Australian and NZ wines
Hours: Every day; noon to 2pm for lunch; 5.30pm to 9pm for dinner
Extras: Breads $4.50, sauteed greens, fried potato, chips, salad, all $5
Vegetarian: Five dishes, entree or main
Bookings: 4956 1376
Bottom line: Entree, main, dessert (very substantial) for two, about $100 without drinks.
Mark Hosie has proved at Bistro Tartine that he can do French food. Can he also do Italian? We front up at his Italian Kitchen in the Lambton Park Hotel on a Monday night to find out.
In true pub fashion there's no table service and the prices reflect this. The atmosphere is casual, with bare timber tables and paper napkins. But the food is served on large white plates and the wine glasses are a notch above standard bistro quality.
Many entrees come in two sizes and even the smaller size is generous. Six Hervey Bay scallops ($15) are coated with tomato and gremolata (lemon, parsley and breadcrumbs) and baked on the half shell. The scallop meat is sweet and tender under the crumb crust. There's barely room on the plate for the tumble of rocket leaves and a lemon wedge. Wonder how they serve a dozen ($28)?
Spring vegetables feature strongly. There's an artichoke, leek, goat's cheese and mint risotto ($14/$22) and orecchiette with garlic, olive oil, asparagus, spinach, pine nuts and parmesan ($14/$22) among the entrees. The ear-shaped pasta is perfectly al dente, tossed with a plethora of tender greens and topped with crisp pine nuts. While many chefs might be tempted to use cream to finish this dish, Hosie stays true to its southern Italian roots and anoints it simply in extra virgin olive oil.
How many times do you order salt and pepper squid only to find most of the salt and pepper spicing has been lost in the oil? Just in case this might happen, a small dish of spiced salt is included beside a succulent Sicilian spiced fried squid ($14/$22). The white crystalline salt is speckled with chilli flakes, chopped parsley and grated lemon zest, to sprinkle on top if necessary. The accompanying salad is a pile of rocket topped with balsamic-dressed tomato and there's a dish of aioli for dipping the squid.
While the menu reflects a strong Italian pedigree there is more than a nod to traditional Aussie tastes in the presentation. Veal saltimbocca on risotto primavera ($25) combines prosciutto and sage-wrapped veal, a substantial dish in its own right, with a risotto that is more likely to appear among the primi (entrees) on an Italian menu. No one can complain about value for money and not just for the quantity. The sweet, soft prosciutto is an apt foil for the mild-flavoured but tender veal; the rice is soupy, al dente and studded with green peas, diced cucumber and asparagus and showered with chopped parsley.
A 280-gram sirloin ($24) is all you would expect in a pub steak and more. Medium rare is what is ordered and medium rare it comes, perfectly rested and evenly pink right through. Mustard and herb butter melts over the top and textbook-perfect chips and a refreshing cucumber salad sit to one side.
Honey and praline ice cream terrine ($9) is a triumph. The honey semi-freddo is layered with nutty praline, served in a slice and covered with a beige vanilla creme anglaise. It's a fitting finale to a meal which presents Italian flavours and techniques in a true blue Aussie setting.
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