Rovollo Is Sydney’s New Italian Restaurant Serving Carbonara From A 20-Kilo Cheese Wheel

 Rovollo is a cosy Italian eatery and wine room combining comfort food with the grandeur of Sydney’s CBD, and a 250–bottle vino list to boot. Handmade pasta, decadent desserts and the intimate Italian dining scene never get old—and this Sydney CBD restaurant, by the family business behind Surry Hills institution Mille Vini, has it all.

Located on the bottom floor of Harry Seidler’s showstopping 25 Martin Place skyscraper, interior opulence is key, with a 10-metre-long, hand-painted ceiling mural; intricate, one-of-a-kind ceramics; a gold marble bar; and a dramatic ceiling pendant made from a repurposed parachute.

The menu is steeped in Italian homeliness and tradition—pasta is handmade daily, starters include house-made focaccia, arancini, beef tartare, fried burrata, and salumi, and their current signature dish? A pici carbonara delivered tableside, set alight and tossed through a 20-kilo wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Grilled meats and seafood, a caviar service, and an elaborate chilled seafood tower are also on offer for unforgettable Sydney CBD dining.

Head chef Zach Buchanan (ex-Clam Bar, Fish Butchery) attests that “great Italian food is about letting exceptional ingredients speak for themselves”, a concept that carries through from their 24-layer dark chocolate cake with rosemary-infused berry compote to their inventive seven-sip cocktail list described as a “journey through Italy."

The grappa-based Amalfi is straight out of the Mediterranean, finished with a salted limoncello blue foam, and the savoury Napoli is charcuterie in a drink—a freezer martini made with vodka or gin, focaccia-charred vermouth, burrata whey, basil, and tomato oil, reminiscent of a crackling wood-fire pizza oven. 

If you aren’t an agent of choice, the chef’s tasting menu will come as a relief. For $115pp, you can nab four antipasti dishes, a select pasta or protein, sides, and Rovollo’s classic tiramisu spoon. For those who prefer a glass of vino to finish off the day, their 250-bottle wine list is sure to impress—25 by-the-glass choices make for an ideal alfresco aperitivo hour.

Rovollo is open Monday–Friday, 12pm–midnight and from 4pm on Saturdays. Book online, or wander in for a spontaneous evening of impeccable service and approachable dining.

Image credit: Rovollo | Supplied