116 Marion Street
Leichhardt
Open 7 nights
5pm-11pm
While we could
happily eat in 'fine diners' on a regular basis (money permitting), we sometimes get a hankering for a spot of 'cheap & cheerful'. This might be Indian, Chinese or as it happens tonight....Italian.
With that in mind we take ourselves off to Leichhardt to see if Gelbison is cheap & cheerful enough to satisfy our craving.
134 Marion Street
Leichhardt
Dinner
Tuesday-Saturday
6pm to 10pm
The Ortolan is a European songbird considered a delicacy in France.
The birds, once caught (using nets), are kept in black boxes (to simulate night) for a few weeks and fed oats & millet to fatten them up. Following this, the bird is killed by being drowned in armagnac. The head is removed, it is plucked and then roasted (for 8 minutes) with its internal organs and skeleton intact.
To eat, drape your head with a linen napkin (to capture the precious aromas), take the entire bird in your mouth & chomp down. The flavour is said to be gamey with foie gras overtones.
The bird is considered endangered in France, so it is now illegal to sell Ortolan.... unfortunately though, it is not illegal to eat them.
Bistro Ortolan is not dissimilar to the bird from which it takes its name, it is indeed a rare (though not so endangered) species in the suburb of Leichhardt.
163 Norton Street
Leichhardt 2040
Tuesday-Saturday
5pm to Midnight
Sunday
5pm to 10 pm
Summertime and the living is easy….not so, if you live in Sydney. It was a hot & sticky night as we headed out to Aperitivo.
Aperitivo occupies the former home of Pavarotti on Norton. The space has been suitably ‘spruced’ up & nothing remains of its former incarnation.
The restaurant is deceptively large & has a very modern feel; dark brown tones with the odd splash of colour, courtesy the bright red chairs & the wonderfully decorative wall.
