Toppi

The Verdict

Named after chef and owner Paola Toppi (just the genius brain behind the iconic Bar M), Toppi is your Italian ristorante escape when you want to recluse from the bustle of Sydney’s CBD.

And we’ll cut right to the chase, your first port-of-call here is the elevated pasta-bar that churns out housemade dishes of the carby stuff. The standouts here are the signature duck ravioli with sage, browned butter and duck jus and the blue swimmer crab and tagliatelle sciue sciue with king prawns, cherry tomatoes and a dash of chilli. These guys are prepped right in front of you which basically means you’re in for all the theatrics.

When you’re keen for post-work drinks or a bite in-between meals, then make your way to the extravagant Cocktail Bar. This one houses a heap of sharing-style plates of antipasti and cured meats, a couple of pasta tasters and seafood too.

At the Dining Room, you’re in for one hell of a sitdown. Mains here hero seafood dishes, high-cut meats and some serious pasta contenders (that will absolutely bring on a carb-induced food coma). The most important feed to tick off is the wagyu eye fillet alla pizzaiola packed with spicy tomato sauce, garlic chilli and potato mash because let’s face it, it’s what dreams are truly made of. You should also be diving headfirst into the gnocchi sorrentina which gets smothered in handmade Napolitana sauce and damn fresh buffalo mozzarella.

Unsurprisingly, the wine list is a solid line-up of Italian, local and international wines which sit loud and proud on the dedicated tipple wall at the entrance of Toppi. As for the cocktails, they’re built on Italian classics with the likes of barrel-aged negronis made with grappa (an Italian digestif that falls into the brandy pool), in-season fruit bellinis and then of course, the unmissable and mega decadent tiramisu martini.

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