It’s a steamy Thursday night in Sydney and the Sex and the City discussion pops up. “As everyone gets older, they end up wanting to become Samantha. Essentially we work our way through these female archetypes until we all become cougars” The Second Wife says. There are four of us girls having dinner one night in Surry Hills and indeed it does feel a bit Sex and the City but with some of us wearing thongs having punished our feet all day in high heels (oh would Carrie approve?). We choose a SATC personality for the evening and The Second Wife confesses to feeling a bit Samantha, Tess claims Miranda quickly and Naomi takes Charlotte. I’m Carrie but hopefully less annoying and self centered (hopefully!).
We’re ensconced in Fico, a very dark, very subtly signposted bar where people that aspire to eat at Il Baretto huddle over glasses of wine and flirt amongst the flatteringly dark lights. We nibble on some baby calamari fritti and some chicken and mushrooms on skewers but it’s too dark to photograph. “Charlotte” has ordered these because when you walk into Il Baretto at 7:30pm asking for a table, you know you may be waiting for some time. Thankfully her phone rings after a short time and they tell her that there was a cancellation and that a table is ready if we leave now. We take our barely touched bottle of mineral water with us and they don’t bat an eyelid – Fico and Il Baretto are owned by the same people.
We take the short walk to Il Baretto and they’re getting the tables ready. Space is a premium here and we look on in horror at a table clearly for two being set for four diners and we worry that it’s our table. There’s a bar style section at the front side where diners can gaze out towards the street rather than at each other. Thankfully we get a table out towards the back where a breeze blows through on this hot Summer’s night.
“Charlotte” and “Miranda” battle each for the attention of the waiter but true to form, he is busy flirting with The Second Wife aka Samantha. We have to choose their signature dish, the Duck Ragu with Papardelle. I look around and the pasta dishes are huge. I sniff the air and get very hungry “I want that smell” I say.
Duck Ragu with Papardelle $26
The Duck Ragu was a no brainer. I love Duck, I love ragu and I love papardelle and it is most impressive, the bowl piled high with papardelle and a very generous portion of soft duck ragu and wilted spinach. It’s heavenly and creamy and with soft pieces of duck ragu but I can only get through a quarter of it at best as I’m sharing the vongole spaghetti with “Samantha”.
Spaghetti alla Vongole $26
The spaghetti is perfectly cooked and the simple oil based sauce is flecked with parsley and chilli and small vongole clams. It’s perfectly simple but moreish with just the right amount of spice and is a good contrast to the creamy papardelle.
Pesto Risotto
I try a bit of “Miranda’s” Pesto risotto which is fantastic and rich although I don’t try any of the chicken on top.
Lasagne $20
Charlotte’s lasagne is lusciously good too and I wish I could have stolen more.
Pannacotta $9
Four girls, four spoons and one dessert. Draped over and pooled alongside the wobbly jiggly pannacotta is a divine sauce made up of a red wine reduction with caramel, star anise, vanilla bean and other aromatics. “Samantha” and I go crazy over it and we are all lamenting the end of our wobbly, creamy delicious friend. There are murmurs of “the best pannacotta I’ve ever eaten” and I would have to agree. It almost helps “Charlotte” and “Miranda” forget the fact that their lusted after waiter personally hands the spoon over to Samantha whereas he simply puts it on the table for the rest of us.
Tiramisu $9
After the resoundingly good pannacotta, I get cocky and ask the girls whether we could fit in the Tiramisu. The Tiramisu isn’t bad at all although it needs a bit more coffee and alcohol although we all admit that the pannacotta is a hard act to follow. Charlotte and Miranda give it one last go with the waiter when he brings our bill but suddenly there’s a gasp from him and he points to my Louis Vuitton wallet on the table “That’s faaabulous!” he trills. “I got one just like it for my birthday! A Gucci!” Charlotte and Miranda look at each other puzzled and start giggling. Perhaps they were never going to be in the running for him.
So tell me Dear Reader, which Sex and the City character are you feeling like at the moment?
Il Baretto
496 Bourke St, Surry Hills NSW
(02) 9361 6163
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42 Comments | Add your own
As much as I would love to be considered as Carrie, I’m very much Miranda.
Standford Blatch! Overlooked and over here.
I see Baretto has upped their prices. Again. Boo!
This is a charming place and dishes looks very good! The pesto risotto and the best pannacotta, ever…I need to take a fly to taste it there
Have a great week!
Gera
Hmm… I think I’ve always associated most with Miranda, because of her sharper sense of humour (and my own lack of towards-male confidence, which completely rules out Samantha!). I often liked Charlotte’s 50s-style clothes the most, though!
That vongole looks so yum, by the way!
The Vongole looks delicious. I like how you all took on an SATC character. I don’t think I am one of the girls. I am more Stanford. You know always giving advice to the girls but had major issues with men. Ehehhehe.
haha great post! My friends and I also have our SATC moments
That pesto risotto looks great – I wonder if I could make something like that at home??
The food looks very nice, but queueing for a crowded table? I’m too old for that now. So maybe that makes me Samantha..
Not into sex and the city so will just comment that the pesto dish looks rather.. green!
I’m definitely a miranda, but I love charlotte’s style and samantha’s confidence and would definitely steal them if I could! To be honest carrie drives me nuts so I refuse to believe you are like her
pasta is food porn for me at any time of day, such a good post, I’m close to drooling on the bus.
That was great… the sex and the city tilt to the story made the restaurant more real… I would always think of you as Carrie!
Definitely feeling most like Charlotte at the moment.
Food looks lovely
Everyone wants to be a Carrie! And despite being a writer…. Im totally a bit of a Miranda. Although I love Charlottes wardrobe the best…
I like the food at Il Baretto but, being italian myself, I still can’t get used to paying $27 for a pasta dish…my fault!
Yum – I’ll have the duck ragu!
Oh, and I am definitely Miranda.
I wish I was feeling like a sex and the city character but commonly feel much less interesting and glamorous!
Oh how I love this story!
I think I’m a combo of Charlotte and Miranda – home-maker but with a touch of cynical!
What a fun night, and that pannacotta looks out of this world! I’ve been working a lot lately so I think I’m feeling pretty Miranda-like…but there’s always room for little bit of fun-loving Carrie!
Nice theme to this post! Perhaps I’ll start choosing a show/movie/book and refer to my friends as the characters they represent, though I guess this may be dangerous as most stories seem to have at least one character that noone wants to be
That risotto is mesmerising in its greenness. So very green.
Always Carrie. Can’t help it. I love her. Yeah she whines at times, but don’t we all. No, I don’t aspire to be Samantha ever.
I live to eat their duck ragu…and I will always be a samantha!
That must make me Mr Big ….Sheesh , might have cut down on the beer. Looks a little trendy for me being the wrong side of fifty but my ears pricked up when you said duck . Might give it a go.
You got me at the pannacotta!! mmmmmm.. great story Lorraine
I’m not sure who I’m feeling like at the moment…
Have watched the show but not an avid fan of SATC, so can’t relate to any of the characters.
The food on the other hand is very sexy!!
I have to agree with Fat Mum Slim – I want to be Carrie – but I’m Miranda. And I doubt I will age well enough to ever be Samantha!!
I can’t believe you went to Il Baretto and didn’t call me to say hello! I am mere steps away. Unfortunately I don’t get to go as often as I’d like to cause BF thinks it’s too exxy and not enough Beef!
All the pastas look wonderful but the standout for me is the spaghetti alla vongole =) Shame about the waiter!
Panna cotta AND tiramisu at a single meal?!? Swoon-worthy!
I think for most of us, we are a cross between the different characters…except for Samantha,I guess – a facet so bold which most of us would be too coy to admit association with. Vongole has always been my safe and comfortable choice but I would love to try the duck ragu…creamy and satisfying..
Oh dear, I think I’m Carrie too but tend to live like Miranda, however mostly I’m Liz Lemon! That red wine reduction on the pannacotta sounds so intriguing…and I’ve got some spare red too, hmmm weekend coming up – time to cook!
I miss that show!!!!! One of these days I want to rent all of the seasons and re-live. Great post as always.
as i’m sure you’ve realized, i’m most often smitten with the desserts you display. this time, however, i can’t see anything except that pesto risotto! how gorgeous, and it must be scrumptious!
also, i love the sex and the city references–so clever. for the record, i’m charlotte. always.
HAH! You are definitely less selfcentered compared to Carrie, but always fashionable I bet!
I’ve been hankering for an overthetop tiramisu. You’re making me very jealous Lorraine!
hehe great ending of the post. Happy Mardi Gras
haven’t been here for ages and i know what you mean about the dim lighting at fico. nice atmosphere though and nice wines.
what a delicious choices, very hard to choose..
I didnt got the chance to see the program.
You could never be annoying or self-centered like Carrie. But you do have her whimsical style and way with words!
I have always admired Samantha; to me she is the most interesting and lovable of the bunch, maybe because she acts like she does not need it.
The pasta with duck and saying “I will have that smell” That was a riot! Loved it!
Haha the waiter sounds cute! The pasta dishes all look great, but so massive! I’ve always been told that I’m Charlotte, I’d like to think that I have a little bit of everyone in me though
Love the presentation of the desserts. Simple but effective. The pastas look sooo delicious too.
red wine reduction is mean red wine cooked with spices?
I’m more likely Charlotte and I did saw older people behaving more likely Samantha when I was having dinner with a friend. There are these older women was sitting next to us in a big communal bench, having big plate dinner for share and always looking around seeing who was passing by. They were also trying to get cheek kisses from strangers above our heads (yes, we were sitting just next to passerby). Imagine our akwardness.
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[...] fare- Il Baretto A couple of weekends ago, N and I had dinner with B & L. We went to Il Baretto, in Surry Hills. N has been several times, and raved about it, so I was keen to [...]
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