Review : La Scala on Jersey

Corner of Jersey Road and Melrose Lane

Woollahra NSW 2025

Opening Hours

Monday to Saturday
Dinner from 6pm until late


Buggles & Squeak have been admirers of Darren Simpson since his days at ‘Aqua Luna’. We decided a visit to La Scala on Jersey was in order.



The evening started well with parking very close to the restaurant.

On alighting the stairs we were greeted by the maitre’d & shown to our table…lovely just by the window.

The menu looked good & we couldn’t wait to tuck into the many delights on offer.

I started off with a very ‘rummy’ (this is a good thing) Mojito & Buggles with a Raspberry & Lemongrass Martini.

Both cocktails were perfect & really hit the spot!

When it comes to entrees I am torn….do I choose ‘Osso’ – roast veal bone marrow, parsley salad & bruschetta (which I loved when had at Aqua Luna) or

‘Vitello tonnato’ - sliced roast veal, tuna fish mayonnaise, green beans & capers (which is a new favourite of mine).

I decided on the Vitello tonnato & I am not disappointed.

The veal sliced thinly, was oh so tender, the tuna mayonnaise light & flavoursome, the beans retained their bite & the draping of anchovies added a slight salty hit. Really delicious.

Buggles ordered ‘Fritto misto’ – deep fried Hawkesbury squid, tiger prawns, zucchini blossoms, herb mayonnaise. Another well cooked, tasty dish. I enjoyed my sampling of the zucchini blossoms & herb mayonnaise.

For mains I go with ‘Manzo’ – sliced 150 day 400g aged rib eye of beef, Roman beans, drunken cheese, bitter leaves.

The rib-eye was tender, moist & full of flavour, the drunken cheese (which I have not had before) seemed to add a tart, fruitiness to the dish & the bitter leaves added a nice balance.

Buggles ordered ‘Agnello’ - lamb rump, organic stuffed tomato, zucchini, trifolati, mint & salsa verde.

The lamb was well seasoned, succulent & perfectly medium rare. Buggles thought the stuffed tomato was quite bland & added nothing to the dish. On the whole though, she enjoyed the dish very much.

To accompany our meals we ordered the ‘Tuscan fries’ – herbs, garlic, olives & chilli. These were incredibly good, with lots of olives, roasted garlic & a hint of chilli…very moreish.

Onto dessert….

I decided on Panna cotta, raspberries, Grappa Moscato di Nonino. Unbelievably good…silky, smooth, lush…divine.

Buggles ordered an old favourite from the ‘Aqua Luna’ days…Rose Gray’s chocolate Nemesis River café, crème fraiche.
It was as good as we remembered, very chocolatey, rich & decadent.

This restaurant completely lived up to all expectations. The food was really very good & the waitstaff incredibly attentive, friendly with a real understanding of the food they were serving.


Above all, it is so reasonably priced which is an added bonus. We will make sure to return to La Scala sooner rather than later!
 
Squeak
 

 
P.S. apologies for the poor quality photos, we have a new camera & are still working out how to best shoot in low light