Aperitivo Hour at the Dolphin Hotel has to be one of the best deals for quality snacking in this city. For the uninitiated, from Sunday to Thursday the Surry Hills pub offers knockout nibbles and a short list of natural wines and palate-cleansing cocktails, all for between five and seven bucks, between 5-7pm.
For the next three weeks, until August 8, Sydney’s so-called “Prince of Pasta” Mitch Orr will be taking over the Wine Room’s menu, which should ring major bells for diners mourning the loss of ACME, his much-loved hip-hop-heavy, noodle-forward restaurant that closed last month.
Jatz, baloney sandwiches and other old mainstays likely won’t make the cut, but you can expect dishes like skewers of barbecued octopus with bread sauce, wood-fired eggplant on toast and a fried calzone with tomato and mortadella from LP’s Quality Meats. And, of course, there’s pasta – right now a simple spaghetti with garlic, chilli and kombu; which, for less than a tenner, means you should probably order two. Or three. No judgement.
It's likely this is a sneak preview of what he’ll be whipping up when he takes the reins at the soon-to-be-revamped-and-renamed Da Orazio in Bondi, but just enjoy it for what it is: one heck of a tasty bargain.
Feel like more for less? Check out our picks for the finest cheap eats in Sydney.