Matteo Downtown is a slick newcomer to the city dining scene, with the stylish space in Bond Street featuring a bar serving up Negronis for their apertivo hour as well as a spacious restaurant with plenty of room for groups looking for some decent Italian cuisine.
We started off our group dinner with their spectacular Crudo di Mare which featured raw scampi on the night we were there – the super fresh seafood was elevated by the zesty olive oil dressing and slivers of blood orange which really made the flavours pop.
Crudo di Mare, $29
We also dug into their Classic Beef Tartare, mixed by the waiter on arrival at our table and full of moreish flavour from the hits of onion and capers, served with fluffy woodfired schiacciata (Tuscan flat bread) which went wonderfully together.
Classic beef tartare, wood fire schiacciata, $26
Our last starter was the Grilled Fremantle Octopus which was smoky and deliciously seasoned with some chilli oil, served on top of a dollop of cauliflower puree.
Grilled Fremantle Octopus, $27
For our shared mains, we went for their striking Squid Ink Fregola with the chewy pasta balls coated in the jet black substance and all sorts of seafood tossed through the rich, savoury sauce.
Squid Ink Fregola ai Frutti di Mare, $30
We also got two of their Neopolitan style wood-fired pizzas – the Gorgonzola was a crowdpleaser with a blend of smoked fior di latte and rich gorgonzola cheeses, crispy potato chips and sausages, while the Calzone was a meld of more traditional ingredients like mild salami, basil and San Marzano tomato all folded over into one flavourful package.
Gorgonzola pizza, $24
Calzone pizza, $22
The effortless and well-executed Italian cuisine served up by Matteo Downtown in sleek surrounds make it a top spot for business lunches and group catch ups over some drinks from their quality cocktail menu, and we will be back for more when the craving for Italian next hits.
Matteo Downtown
20 Bond Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9241 2008
