Stepping out

A piece of little Italy at Drummoyne

Xavier Toby

23Apr08

Try the scampi at Accento.

ONLY four weeks after opening, Accento has already developed a reputation for its outstanding Italian food with a twist.

The menu features regular Italian options but the specials board is changed daily depending on what fresh produce is available which keeps the locals coming back.

Part owner Maria Grazia (Grace) Ciano said the specials were the most popular dishes, and that high quality and variety were the restaurant's main priorities.

"If it's not fresh, I wouldn't serve it," she said.

Aside from running the restaurant, Ms Ciano is a classically-trained opera singer, performing most recently with Sydney Opera at North Sydney.

It is no surprise then that her renditions of Happy Birthday at the restaurant are very popular, and while some groups come in weekly, they always claim it is someone's birthday.

For lunch, as a starter, we were served two different types of tasty bruschetta.

The grilled eggplant and capsicum, and marinated artichokes, were both interesting deviations from regular entrees, and a nice way to cleanse the palate prior to the heartier courses to follow.

The next course was scampi cooked in a lemon, lime and seeded mustard, or sweet chilli sauce. Both combinations worked well with the subtle flavour of the fresh scampi.

Then we were fortunate enough to taste the homemade pasta, made fresh on the premises from scratch, with a bolognaise sauce carefully prepared over several hours and combined with vegetables to ensure it wasn't too heavy.

The final main was traditional veal parmigiana, unrecognisable to those dishes so popular in pubs and clubs.

The soft, tender meat was not crumbed. Instead three veal medallions had been covered in napolitana sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Lastly, we sampled two delectable desserts, also prepared on the premises.

The pear and almond tart with mascarpone cheese and raspberries contained plenty of fresh fruit, while the profiteroles filled with chocolate mousse was sweet and delicious.

All ingredients come from hand-picked Italian suppliers, and the Italian chefs, Antonella Carrioti-Samperi and Daniele Vinci, have had more than 25 years experience working all over the world.

While not yet open for lunch, the restaurant can be booked for lunchtime functions or corporate events.

Takeaway is also available, and on the weekend the restaurant also does pizzas.