If you’re anything like us, you spend a lot of time trying to stumble across the most delightful and unassuming places in the city. Restaurants for that perfect dinner and drop that nobody told you to see coming. Sella Vinoteca, a hidden Italian wine bar, restaurant and cellar in Randwick, is one of these places.
Owned by Sardinian-born Fabio Dore, this gleaming restaurant in the Newmarket area of Randwick is full of family warmth and incredible, carefully-crafted flavours that all warrant a moment of reflection. This is very good Italian food, mixed with very good local NSW and Australian produce. A winning combination, if you ask us.
We headed to Sella Vinoteca on a Sunday night, a time when much of Randwick is steeped in a sleepy haze and not much seems to be, as they say, ‘going on’. At Sella Vinoteca, this wasn’t the case. Filled with chattering couples, friends and families, this shiny venue was full of cosy, amber-hued touches and cheerful Sunday vibes. Low lighting, warm staff and a very pretty teal bar make for a sweet dining environment.
Fabio told us that he had worked with Romagna-born executive chef Marco Masotti on designing a menu that perfectly sings with a number of paired wine counterparts. With an extensive series of excellent Italian, French, Argentinian, and (of course), Australian drops in their arsenal, Sella Vinoteca is all about sustainability, a lack of intervention, and, above all, quality drinking. And it shows.
The friendly staff, led by an enthusiastic Fabio, brought numerous magical dishes to our table. Whether it was the golden rosemary focaccia, a tiny miracle scallop gratin dressed with ginger, hazelnut butter and chives, or a 24-hour slow cooked lamb ragu with handmade pappardelle pasta, this menu was full of seriously juicy flavours and tasty bites that had everyone at dinner exclaiming out loud.
All of Sella’s food is inspired by the kind of dishes you’d find scattered around the sun soaked Italian islands, rugged mountains and tiny villages across the Italian countryside, with it fusing global techniques with the red, red soul of Italian regional cooking.
The product? A really delicious dinner indeed. Put this one on your list.
Time Out tip: With kids? Sella Vinoteca is located right next to one of the most epic playgrounds we’ve ever seen. Bring them, feed them a $16 meal, and then send them out to frolic on an absolutely gigantic climbing gym while you sip a perfect Sangiovese from Tuscany. You’re welcome.
