Verde

We ventured here for a quiet intimate Valentine’s day dinner and received exactly that. We chose this restaurant knowing what would be on their v-​day special menu because no-​one loves finding a perfect place to eat on a special occasion only to find out on the day they’re not serving their normal menu but some randomly themed one.
Easy to find via walking, it’s located in a heritage listed building at the corner of a nice quiet intersection of other restaurants and bars. We were seated as per reservation, they had the windows open for the evening breeze and it was thankfully not packed out with just a small smattering of patrons.
We ordered for entrée arancini balls and a tiger prawns and avocado dish I can’t for the life of me remember what it was called. I do believe it was part of the V-​Day menu specifically. Anyway, those balls, holy balls, were amaaaze balls! I would’ve ordered two more plates if I had known. Really some of the best arancini balls I’ve tried, the perfect balance of rice filling and temperature. The tiger prawns were fresh and went well with the avocado but were outshined by the balls.
For mains we ordered pan fried snapper with saffron pappardelle, capers, peas in butter sauce and braised lamb shoulder with sweet potato mash and gremolata. My partner absolutely loved the lamb, he described it as melt in your mouth, falling off the bone delicious. Although he said the mash was rather tasteless and forgettable. My snapper was crispy skin, which I peeled away, but it was nicely cooked. Unfortunately the fish was over powered and drowned by the unseasoned thick butter sauce. It would’ve been a fantastic dish if it weren’t for the sauce. It was hard to enjoy the pasta after being soaked by the butter soup, it went real cold, real fast. What a shame.
For desserts we had tiramisu with shaved perugino chocolate and crumbled apple with cinnamon caramelised almonds & vanilla gelato. Both dishes were nice, the crumble was particularly a delight.
All in all it was a nice, relaxing and romantic evening and perfect for the occasion, albeit pricy.

Very nice dinner last night —
Blue Swimmer crab pasta, lamb and a bottle of Rockfords sparkling Shiraz.
Cute little spot. Great ambience. Good service from lovely staff.
We will come back.

So this is actually for Toto which recently opened right next door– billing itself as a café by day and champagne bar by night.
I found Toto via Instagram– appears that all of the regulars at 98 Riley Street frequent Toto for their amazing egg white omelettes. Being a bit of a protein whore myself this was the only prompting that I needed!
What I love about their breakfast is that it’s all customisable. Want 4 eggs in your omelette? 6? 8? Prefer that it’s eggs only and no cream in there as well? This is pretty much every dieter/​healthy obsessed eater’s dream and really appreciated.
Can’t wait to try the champagne bar at night as well!

Great food, the menu changes often which makes it exciting to visit. The food came out a little slow, but was worth the wait! The staff are very friendly and the BYO price is good, $ 9 (Mon — Thurs only)

WOW! What a fantastic place! Cosy and beautiful, great staff, half open kitchen — oh, yes, kitchen, the most important feature.
I started with a chillied Calamar — an explosion in my mouth.
Followed by a Steak — huia, this was exactly to the point and melted on my tongue, the garlic pesto was an excellent, lovely accompany to it, loved it.
Finished with a cheese plate — ok, can’t do much wrong, but the choice of cheeses was also perfect.
This is now by far my favorite spot in this area of many good and nice restaurants.
Not on the cheap side, but worth every penny as you get quality.
Fully recommended!

Verde brings Italy right to your table; what a wonderful establishment in so many ways.
Authentic Italian cuisine — Antonio delivers the correct plating, portions, and has a veritable penchant for taste and complimentary seasoning. He works well behind the scenes but also came out to chat with us and explain what dishes are his favorite — while making us laugh a bit.
I could tell from the start that his heart and soul have been casted into the lifeline of Verde from it’s walls and foundation to the sweet Chocolate Fondant we shared as a savory after dinner treat. Antonio is a charming chef/​owner and has brought beautiful Italy to the winsome Darlinghurst neighborhood, allowing my mama and me to enjoy a proper girls night out with wine, food, chocolate and cute men.
Plus side — they offer a summer menu for $ 22 that includes a house red or white and an entrée off of a smaller menu; can’t beat that offer when trying a new restaurant out for the very first time!

A majestic corner position on Stanley and Riley streets aptly preludes the timeless deco interiors at Verde. Came here for a private 60^th function (upstairs) where the strong art deco flavour feels timeless and elegant. This upstairs level is very much geared for private soirees, so there are function packs to choose from which takes the headache out of party organisation. Dim lights are wonderfully moody, and the deco décor sports a subtle contemporary contrast. No one can get enough of the chilled king prawns with garlic aioli; and the arancini balls with saffron aioli are a hearty hit. Potato parsley and pargmigiano fritters are my pick and I go for gold. And you can never go wrong with a little smoked salmon rolled with crème fraiche and herbs. Two girls… they must be only barely twenty well and truly look after us for the evening and they are sweet as can be. If you have no occasion for a stand up function, or you’re simply low on friends, book the private dining room for a sit down feast or simply head downstairs to the a la carte restaurant. If it’s raining, just keep a close eye on your umbrella when you ditch it at the door. A couple on our night were ruthlessly pinched by other punters. Oh dear.

I LOVE the south of Italy plus I love Italian cuisine so Verde is one of my best places. This beautiful little Italian place is Sydney’s answer to ‘little Italy’ is even just gorgeous to look at, set inside an old terrace with big open windows, white tables and a rich timber interior. Downstairs is the restaurant area and upstairs is a very cute lounge bar with a small courtyard and Juliette balcony. The Calabrian influenced cuisine is delicious — try the risotto of Roast Chicken, Baby Spinach and Asparagus ($ 26). On Sunday and Monday nights Verde have a ‘main and wine’ special for $ 22 — you can’t beat that for a try!

Dined here with a few friends, this restaurant is set within a heritage building which as been refurbished. The interior is trendy yet intimate. The food was absolutely delicious, authentic Italian cuisine plated beautifully. Service was good, staff was attentive and helped fill up our glasses all night. Great selection of wine.