The Italian Bowl

The Italian Bowl has come a long way from The Italian Bowl I remember from my first time eating there 9 years ago. It used to be just a small joint primarily for getting takeaway, and has now expanded into the neighbouring shopfront to be a full restaurant – however, still famous for its delicious pasta.

The first thing I noticed was the queue out front at the counter – you order at the counter for both eat-in (grabbing a table number) and take-out. The second thing I noticed was the speed of the dishes coming out of the kitchen – there were several waiters floating around never tardy but always delivering a plate of something, whether it was pasta, or cheesy bread (which by the way, smelled delicious!).

The menu is simple enough if you’re coming here to eat the pasta – just choose your type of pasta and the sauce.

 

Not able to resist more carbs though, my dining companion and I also ordered some arancini balls to start our meal off. I don’t usually enjoy arancini balls at all particularly at canape / finger food events and they’re never great there. The ones at The Italian Bowl are pretty darn good, really crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The cheese one was particularly satisfying with a melt-in-your-mouth texture in the middle.

 

Given the cold winter of Sydney was right upon us, I ordered the carbonara for a bit of warm creamy comfort. It didn’t disappoint, with the right level of garlic and shallots amongst the bacon and creamy egg. The fettucini was a bit softer than I would have liked but still within the realms of well cooked.

The Italian Bowl doesn’t have the level of sophistication that is associated with higher end Italian restaurants or even the finesse / lighter touch of Fratelli Fresh but it is value for money (I could barely finish half of my carbonara plate!) and a solid local joint for the Inner West. By the way, if you are very hungry, you can get a larger pasta plate by paying an extra $8 – those plates were absolutely giant!

Details: The Italian Bowl, 255 King St, Newtown NSW 2042