Restaurant Leo, Sydney

Restaurant Leo is a modern Italian restaurant in the beating heart of Sydney's CBD. The chefs are Federico Zanellato and Karl Firla of Lumi Dining and Oscillate Wildly and there are some must order dishes that you simply have to try!

It was one of those feverishly crazy December weeks, the type that make you start to see the Christmas break as some sort of oasis waiting for you. "December 24th," was all I could mutter to people.

It's a Friday night that we have dinner at Leo in Angel Place. Truthfully I had been here in the early days and felt like our meal missed a few beats. I don't know if it was because it was early or if it was what we ordered but this time I had a plan: we would order everything we didn't try the first time.

We start with cocktails and champagne because how many people just say, "Screw it, it's cocktail and oyster time!". I love my Ruby spritz made with Vodka, Aperol, grapefruit and rhubarb although it's a small serve. Mr NQN's All Sud is more subtle with gin, bergamot, apple and basil. And the half dozen oyster slip down very nicely indeed. They're served with a white balsamic mignonette dressing.

They bring out bread which is ciabatta with anchovy. This time the anchovy is subtle I have to ask for salt for the butter.

The scallop dish is a slice of crisp toasted brioche topped with olives, capers, herbs and chopped scallop crudo. Then this is topped with folds of luscious, silky pancetta on top. It's heavenly with a wonderful interplay of textures and tastess.

I have an odd sort of maths mind. If I see a lobster dish for a reasonable price I have to order it. This maccheroni is perfectly al dente with a rich bisque style lobster sauce with a surprisingly generous amount of tender lobster on top and there's plenty to go around. Oh and save a bit of the house baked ciabatta to mop up the sauce with.

It's hard to choose a favourite main of the two and I think the veal Saltimbocca just pips the pork loin. It is two neat parcels of tender veal stuffed with cheese (a nice surprise) and wrapped in prosciutto and then paired with a divinely buttery marsala sauce and sage.

The kurobuta pork loin is also wonderful. It is a juicy fat ringed fillet of pork, tender to the cut and topped with a tomato, olive and caper sauce designed to highlight the lusciousness of the meat but also balance it.

The potatoes are cut up and roasted with garlic and rosemary. Although they are described to us as very crispy, they are a little crispy. Nevertheless they're still delicious accompaniments to the meat dishes above. I recommend dipping the potatoes in the sauce of the veal saltimbocca.

The parmesan custard is their version of a cheese course. It's an intense, slightly grainy parmesan custard and comes with a generous amount of crispy pane carasau.

Mr NQN busies himself with the panna cotta. It's a traditional vanilla panna cotta with seasonal boysenberries on top. And Mr NQN scrapes the bowl clean!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you always finish all of your food when you eat out? Do you ever go back to a restaurant that you perhaps didn't love the first time?

NQN and Mr NQN was a guest of Destination NSW and this story was part of a staycation story. All opinions remain her own.

Restaurant Leo

1/2-12 Angel Pl, Sydney NSW 2000 Monday closed
Tuesday & Wednesday 12–5pm
Thursday & Friday 12–4pm, 5:30pm–12am
Saturday 5:30pm–12am
Sunday closed
Phone: (02) 9235 3383