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Review by Sarah Macdonald

After attracting attention at Paddington’s Bistro Moore, and brief stints at Ecco in Drummoyne and Jaspers in Hunters Hill, roaming chef Giovanni Spinazzola (pictured) has finally settled into his own restaurant. And what’s more, Da Gianni Trattoria in Annandale is just streets away from his neighbourhood in Leichhardt, Sydney’s Little Italy.

Part of the inspiration for Giovanni’s menu stems from his mum’s Southern Italian cooking. “I don’t try to create new dishes, I bring the classics back to life,” Giovanni explains of this dish. “I learnt to make the sauce in Tome, and the gnocchi is made just like Mum’s.”

Roast suckling lamb at Da Gianni Trattoria

You almost feel guilty for eating something this tender and beautiful. Almost. Giovanni Spinazzola, who first wowed us at Paddingotn’s Bistro Moore, is now master of his own cheerful domain: a relaxed, smartly casual restaurant (the formal Three Clicks West) where a bowl of pasta and glass of vino go hand-in-hand. Spinazzola draws on his southern Italian heritage to create simple, bold dishes that give his own distinct perspective to traditional regional food. His Roman-style roast suckling lamb ($29), initially marinated, then braised with white wine, tomato and fresh herbs, is roasted for a crisp, yet succulent finish, then bathed in rosemary-perfum juices.

The chef may have been around the block a few times but his trip was worthwhile.

Giovanni Spinazzola has changed kitchens so often in the past 12 months, he makes Mozart’s operatic rake, Don Giovanni, look chaste. After leaving Bistro Moore, the chef enjoyed a brief flirtation with Jaspers (Review, March 6, 2007), although his cucina rustica approach jarred with Hunters Hill’s old-style matronliness. Ecco, at Drummoyne Sailing Club, then embraced Spinazzola’s Italian sensibility in the latter half of 2007.

A new year heralds another setting, this time Da Gianni Trattoria in Annandale. Rest assured he’ll stay put now. Spinazzola bought the former Three Clicks West site, transforming it into a clean, simple neighbourhood restaurant that’s just a little sharper and smarter, except for the prices, than the trattoria epithet implies.

That said, it’s casual enough that you could swing by on the way home from work for a bowl of pasta and glass of wine, walking out with change from $35. Or bring the kids. Italians have a knack for making families feel welcome.

For the most part, Spinazzola doesn’t stint on flavour, making sure every dish packs considerable punch as he draws on his family’s southern Italian heritage. I’d happily scoff the wonderful orecchiette Pugliese ($18/$26) any night. It’s a salty, bold dish of lightly mashed broccoli infused with chilli, anchovy, pancetta and garlic that evokes the peasant charms of Italy’s boot heel.

Meanwhile, his occasionally elaborate antipasti demonstrate an experimental playfulness with the classics.

Spiced walnuts give contemporary texture and depth to an old classic: cool thin slices of San Daniele prosciutto ($19.50) with a baked fig that’s adroitly filled with just the right amount of gorgonzola, so its pungent creaminess complements rather than overwhelms the sweetness of the ham.

Another old favourite, a beautifully arranged insalata caprese ($16.50), is modernised by the addition of white anchovies draped over the white ball of luscious fresh Italian buffalo mozzarella, plus a splash of aged balsamic, but was let down by bland slices of roma tomato. At the risk of invoking the further wrath of cucina tradizionale purists, I’d suggest something such as ox heart tomatoes - fabulous right now - as an alternative.

Venison carpaccio ($18) sharpened by vincotto (a sweet, cooked wine vinegar) is wonderfully assertive, although its natural beauty is hidden beneath micro herbs and further buried under an excess of tangy pomegranate that, while complementary, tends to nag the dish like visiting in-laws.

A generous fritella ($16.50), reminiscent of an eggy Spanish frittata, is laced with potato and long strands of whitebait, as well as smoked eel, although it has minimal impact on the overall taste. Adapted from a recipe Spinazzola’s Pugliese mama cooks, it sits like a large golden plinth, crowned with a lemony ball of creme fraiche for some gentle acidity to cut the richness.

The attractive split-level Federation shopfront, with its nooks and crisply white double-clothed tables, glows warmly in the evening sunlight. Brown timbers frame the white walls, garnished occasionally with the facsimile Ricordi-era Italian posters. A handful of booths line the back wall. The service is equally elegant from a nattily dressed tie-wearing team (including the chef’s wife and restaurant co-owner Cinzia) who underpin their friendly warmth with attentive professionalism.

Spinazzola’s willingness to adapt is evident in a mussels alla marinara ($21.50), warm with wine, chilli and garlic, and bolstered by the addition of fregola, pearl-like balls of toasted Sardinian pasta that soak up broth, as well as providing additional texture. Char-grilled garlic bruschetta mops up the remaining salty juices.

Roman-style roast suckling lamb ($29) is an early leader for favourite dish of 2008. On-the-bone chunks of baby lamb, initially marinated and cooked in a white wine, tomato and herb braise, are re-roasted then coated in a rosemary-pungent reduction of the cooking juices. Thus the angelically tender lamb is wetter than Romans would expect, but no lesser for it.

Occasionally I visit restaurants late in the evening just to have dessert. Da Gianni is as good excuse as any, especially for its roasted peach souffle ($15) with an amaretto kick. It gathers momentum with basil sorbet - a little too ice-chunky - that holds minimal interest on its own but provides remarkable harmony with the full-bodied souffle. Mascarpone and summer berry torta ($15) is a clever conceptual hybrid of summer pudding and tiramisu, using layers of berry and marsala-soaked savoiardi biscuits with mascarpone, zabaglione and mixed berries, and white chocolate shavings on top. Its tempting wickedness will sink numerous New Year resolutions but, as Spinazzola shows, breaking the rules is half the fun.

The Summary After a year’s roving, a talented chef finds the right setting for his homely, flavour-packed Italian fare, which adds contemporary imagination to classic foundations.

Ingredients

1 X Roma Tomato
2 X Basil Leaves
1 X Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella
2 X Spanish White Anchovy Marinated
¼ Cup Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Very Good Aged Balsamic
Salt And Pepper To Taste

Method

Slice and arrange Roma tomato on plate in a fan shape (like photo)

Cut thick slices of buffalo mozzarella and top in the center of tomato fan, season with salt and pepper, thinly slice the basil leaves very finely with sharp knife.

Drizzle with olive oil and aged balsamic then top mozzarella with white anchovy.

Buon Appetite
Recipe by Giovanni Spinazzola

Please look out for our monthly newsletters for any specials and events that may be up and coming at da Gianni, remember da Gianni means Gianni’s place and your all very welcome, we hope to see and hear from you all soon.

Grazie, Cinzia & Giovanni
Ciao