The Art of Italian Cuisine

Business Resource & Lifestyle recently had the pleasure of dining at one of Parramatta's best-kept secrets-Peronis Restaurant on Station Street.

It was midday in the middle of the week and the sun was shining as we entered the tastefully decorated foyer of Peronis.

Bill, the owner, was extremely friendly. In fact, he was a great person to talk about the food trade with, as he had 20 years of experience in the industry. Our waiter, Shah, was also very gracious. We felt very relaxed and at home.

I ordered a house Chardonnay that turned out to be the Jane Brook of Swan Valley label and was excellent. Dmitry asked for herb bread, which came nicely toasted and buttered while we considered our choice of lunch entrées and mains.

The menu revealed a splendid choice of Australian and Italian cuisine, so we took our time ordering as we sat bathed in sunlight in an enclosed courtyard setting. For wine buffs, the inner dining room had an entire wall stocked with assorted wines all easy to inspect with their labels forward. The wine list offered wines ranging from Italian White wines to a 1994 Penfolds Grange. There was plenty to choose from.

The entrées offered were all enticing with items like seared scallops with Parmesan herb polenta, onion jam and citrus butter sauce. After much deliberating, Francesca, our photographer, went with the marinated duck livers, which turned out to be a hidden gem. Absolutely scrumptious.

Dmitry, our publisher, was quite proud of his choice when a plate of 12 fresh oysters natural arrived which he later said was succulent and delicious. They appeared to me like a full meal, but Dmitry assured me that he still had plenty of appetite for the comfit of duck which he ordered as a main.

As for myself, I sampled the delicately grilled quail saltimocca which was a worthy predecessor to my veal scaloppine.

Francesca liked natural game, too. So she ordered the kangaroo fillet in cabernet wine jus as a main. Upon arrival, it looked absolutely beautiful, so I sampled it myself and it proved to be quite tender. Novice that I was to kangaroo, Francesca kindly explained that game must be cooked just right or the meat can toughen. Obviously, the chef, Steve, knew his way around the kitchen.

Dmitry was true to his word as he finished an abundant serving of duck for his main which he declared to be cooked to his liking as well.

As for myself, the veal scaloppine in white wine with creamy bacon mushroom sauce reminded me of my favourite home-cooked meals that my late mother used to supply. She was a gourmet food buff, herself, and always made wonderful sauces for most of her meat dishes. Too bad she couldn't be with us that day at Peronis. She would have praised the veal I ordered.

When it was time for dessert, I was pleasantly full but Dmitry insisted I have a dessert, so I ordered the crème brulee which was the perfect touch to a delicious lunch. Francesca went with the vanilla bean ice cream with butterscotch sauce and Dmitry had the winner-tiramisa in expresso flavoured savoiardi biscuits with Italian cream mascarpone. It looked and tasted divine.

When we left, we thanked Bill and his staff for a wonderful dining experience and walked out into the Sydney sunshine vowing to return again.