Il Piave

Ph: 9810 6204; 639 Darling St, ROZELLE 2039

Italian, $$, * for Food & Ambience
Open Dinner Tue-Sat 6-10pm, Closed All pub hols; Licensed, BYO tues-thurs only , Corkage $8 bottle; AE MC V EFT
Chef Vanessa Martin & Amber Diog (29-11-08) Owner Robert & Vanessa Martin (29-11-08)

Mietta's Review
Smart, modern Italian restaurant with simple decor and a clean minimalist look run by brother and sister duo, Vanessa and Robert Martin. Robert's service team is fast and good and Vanessa's house-made pasta is exemplary. A wonderful family feeling fills this restaurant on-the-rise. There's a pleasant courtyard for Sunday lunch and warm evenings.

Other published opinions

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2009 Score: 14.5/20 "A chain of small and bigger rooms behind a modern glass-framed shopfront, cherrystained floors and a fairy-lit, covered courtyard enclose one of Sydney's most notable Italian eateries"

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide "Not a checked cloth in sight. This starkly minimalist inner-west trattoria tucked discreetly into Darling Street's retail landscape is a far cry from hackneyed tradition"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14.5/20 "Vanessa Martin cooks up Italian fare with a strong influence from the Veneto region in this chic white-walled and wood-floored shopfront with a covered courtyard"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "If red-checked tablecloths and wicker vin holders mark out your ideal neighbourhood Italian, Rozelle's sleek Il Piave clearly isn't the place for you"

Sydney Eats 2008 "What's Italian for punching above their weight? That's what they're doing here at this small and intimate yet elegant suburban Italian run by brother-and-sister team Vanessa (she cooks) and Robert (he runs the floor) Martin"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 14/20 "Behind this modest glass shopfront on Rozelle's cafe strip sits a narrow slice of fine northern Italian cuisine. Il Piave spills down the length of the terrace from the marble- fronted bar area to the popular covered rear courtyard with its cobbled path, polished wood walls and fairy lights overhead."

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Restaurant Guide "This family-run ristorante rambles through several rooms of an old terrace house before spilling out into a covered courtyard. II Piave has traditional Italian hospitality and classic flavours on offer."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2006 score 14/20"This family-run ristorante offers true Italian hospitality, from the complimentary bread and olives that arrive when you do to generous serves and the care that's taken in explaining dishes and looking after special requests."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "Il Piave's success lies in balance. It has a family-run vibe, yet eschews Italian cliches. It boasts a cuisine which takes advantage of top-grade produce, retaining simplicity of flavour and presentation."

Sydney Eats 2006 "We've watched with pride as the team here - chef Vanessa and front-of-house brother Robert Martin, from a very Italian background despite the anglicised name have gone from attractive (ask for the courtyard in summer) suburban Italian to celebrated mainstream contender."

SBS Eating Guide to Sydney 2005 "Vanessa Martin is a passionate young Italian-Australian chef who has won the hearts of many for her honest take on northern Italian fare, hence the name of the restaurant she runs with brother Robert-named for the Piave River in the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy where their family comes from."

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 Score 14/20 One Hat "Despite the crowds, the trattoria mood and the Italianesque food, there's not a gingham tablecloth in sight. Instead, the inside of Piave's smart dining room is all neat and white, with hard surfaces in the Sydney style. Also Sydney in style is Vanessa Martin's refreshing interpretation of Italy."

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2005 * "This is the place for a real sense of dining with an Italian family: chef Vanessa Martin at the stoves, mum making the gnocchi, brother Robert running the floor, and herbs fresh from dad's garden."

Sydney Eats 2005 "Forget Leichhardt: only Grappa and Elio can compete with this tiny eatery's clever twists on Italian classics, from squid ink linguine and four cheese gnocchi to tiramisu and affogato. It's a family business with a family feel, popular with big groups; indeed, chef Vanessa Martin describes the food as homestyle, but there aren't too many homes that get it this good."

SMH GFG 2004, Score 14/20, 1 Hat-Good, some excitment,'This modern, busy bistro is doling it all out in equal portions-the handcrafted food, the friendly ambience, the gracious service...Nibble on excellent olives, bread and oil while you pursue a menu with many items offered sensibly as entrees or mains.Seasonal specials are sensational'

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 1 Black Star, Good vegetarian options,'hearty Itailan food is consistently good, well balenced and brimming with lovely flavours...The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly...service is attentive and polished...The wine list adequate but small'