La Scala on Jersey – Simpson takes a Step up from La Sala

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well”, or so says Virginia Woolf. This quote is printed on the top of La Scala’s menu. From the beginning, you know that at La Scala, you’re in for a fine dining experience.

The restaurant sits atop of the Light Brigade Hotel and after a hike up the stairs (‘La Scala’ translates to ‘the staircase’), we walk inside the restaurant, the walls are freshly painted and there is a warm glow coming from the lights. There’s a bar to the left, and a long wooden table with young people sipping drinks and nibbling on plates of things to the right. Walking further into the restaurant we reach the main dining area filled with white clothed tables and a more mature crowd. “Well this is nice” my grandmother exclaims, and it is, very.

Menus are presented in a brown snakeskin folder, with a red matching folder for the wine list and there’s a pretty class bowl of chestnuts sitting on the table. The restaurant manages to be stylishly elegant and quirky at the same time. With a table next to a wall, our seating choices are between a leather couch and armed wooden chairs. I choose a chair, and my rear side reminds me of this choice as I shift around at various times throughout the meal.

The service at La Scala is efficient, polite and very friendly. Throughout the meal we got a chance to get to know Andy, our humorous waiter and I believe he played a big part in enriching our night.

The table beside us is sharing entrees and we decide to do the same, ordering Carpaccio Cipriani ($17), Fritto misto, made up of deep fried Hawkesbury squid, tiger prawns, zucchini blossoms, herb mayonnaise & lemon ($22) and Salumi misti – a selection of Italian cured meats, pickled fennel & gherkins ($ 19). The zucchini flower on the Fritto Misto was crisp and fresh, the crab was fleshy and full of flavour (but not fishy). The small prawns however left some to be desired. The Carpaccio was cool, served with a creamy sauce and tasted rather good with lemon. I was however expecting the meat to be thinner – it was quite thick in some sections. The cured meats, including salami and prosciutto, ranged in levels of salt and some were a bit smokey. Overall, the entree portions were generous, but sharing is probably a good idea as it gives you more variety and you don’t have to succumb to an entire plate of cured meats, raw meat or tempura.

Between entree and main, we got chatting with Andy who recognised my grandmother from when he was waiting at Bilson’s. Despite the need of both my grandmother and mother to hold Andy in ongoing conversation, Andy was entirely pleasant and charming. I’d say he was a truly great waiter but that’s evident from his past work at the like of Bilson’s and Aria.

I was curious as to why each waiter had a different number embroidered on the back of his waistcoat. Andy explained that at La Scala, they were all part of a team. The jersey numbers are reminiscent of that. Also, Chef Darren Simpson has an Irish background – so perhaps the jersey numbers (No play on Jersey Road here) are indicative of a love of football.

My main course was an addition to the menu, swordfish done with eggplant and olives ($34). The fish was firm and moist and the eggplant complemented the flavour well. The olives however were a little bitter but the dish, which also included pine nuts, was wonderfully light. When ordering I couldn’t decide between the swordfish and the Scampi, done with parsley, garlic & almond butter ($39), so my grandmother and I shared both dishes. The Scampi had a nutty flavour and wasn’t too greasy at all, nor did it have an overpowering garlicky taste. It was however slightly fidgety to get out of the shell, but well worth the battle! As the Scampi doesn’t come with any sides we ordered a serving of Tuscan fries with herbs, garlic, olives & chilli ($8). Unfortunately not many of the chips picked up the flavour from the herbs and chilli.

After two courses we weren’t overly stuffed but weren’t really considering dessert. Andy encouraged us not to pass up the Chocolate Nemesis ($14) though and it’s honestly never that hard to talk me into ordering chocolate! We were all glad (including my grandmother who usually avoids chocolate desserts) that we took Andy’s advice as the flourless chocolate cake was sinfully delicious! Very rich and moist, and served lukewarm with Crème fraiche (which I ate it without), the Nemesis was a smooth dark chocolate piece of ecstasy. Unless you’re a true chocoholic though, it would be better to share it and leave wanting more than to have a chocolate overload.

Done for the night, we were ready to leave but I remembered Andy telling us that the best room in La Scala was the little girl’s powder room. So, up the celebrity stairs I trotted to the large pink room with arm chairs a plenty. On either side of the room were doors that lead to bathrooms full of stalls and sinks. I did say La Scala was quirky!

Only open three months, La Scala plays on the name of Simpson’s previous restaurant, La Sala and offers sophisticated food in a lovely restaurant with vivacious staff. Unbeknownst to some, it has not only taken over the upstairs premises of the Light Brigade, but also accepts the Entertainment Card, as the Light Brigade restaurant did, honouring the same discount.

Above the Light Brigade Hotel

Corner of Jersey Road and Melrose Lane

Woollahra 2025

Opening Hours:

Tuesday – Saturday 6pm – 11pm

Price:

Around $70 a head for three courses

Fairly Good French Food for a Small Fare

From the owners of The Little Snail in Pyrmont comes The Red Snail in Darlinghurst, a restaurant that claims to serve inexpensive classic French food. That is exactly what they deliver. At $25.00 for three courses on a Sunday night, we were slightly unsure of what we’d get but figured that for that price, we couldn’t go wrong.

Parking in Darlinghurst is always an issue but hopefully that won’t deter visitors from this gem of a restaurant, and either will it’s ambiguous entry. To get in, you walk through what looks like the back of the restaurant – a courtyard full of outdoor tables – and through glass doors. This is actually the front of the restaurant and the only way in. Perhaps a sign or something in the courtyard would help?

Once inside, the restaurant has a warm decor with hanging red lanterns and a semi open kitchen. The tables and chairs are clean wood and floor to ceiling glass opens the restaurant up nicely. Mood lighting is given off by lamps and the trendy joint is equally great for family dinners, dates or nights with friends. Looking around, other patrons are mainly here for the second two reasons.

The menu itself has a generous selection of entrees, more limited range of main courses and a decent variety of desserts. We are asked to order all three at the same time, which is fine.

I start with the Salt and Pepper Squid served with Chilli and Lime dipping sauce. There are two types of squid on the plate, the body (not cut up into rings), which is soft but not too chewy, and legs, which are very crispy. A lot of places serve salt and pepper squid in a light coloured batter that is quite flakey. The Red Snail doesn’t do this. Their batter is heavier and dark in colour (and very good!) The flavour is quite strong, with a sauce that tastes like a spicy soya sauce and more a lemon, not a lime, as was described.

My partner ordered the duck of a specials menu, which was delicious with a sweet sauce and cranberries. It was served with bread, Melba toasts and a pappadum. Perhaps overkill with too many breads but a fantastic start to the meal.
The good food was complemented by good service, our water glasses never reaching empty and us never needing to ask for a refill.

For the main I ordered the Kangaroo fillet, served rare with native plum sauce. The meat was tender but the sauce was quite syrupy and too sweet for my liking.

My partner decided on the Pork fillet with a Dijon mustard sauce. Unfortunately he wasn’t keen on this. Whilst the pork was cooked well, the sauce had an unappealing flavour, with the mustard being too strong and overpowering.

The main courses were accompanied by a complimentary serving of vegetables in a light butter sauce. They were a nice touch and went well with both main meals.

When the plates were cleared and the dessert cutlery was set, the waitress placed it on an angle, which is quite unique. I thought it looked quite good and gave the place a little edge.

I always find it interesting to check out the bathrooms wherever I go, seeing how different establishments ‘do’ lavatories. In this particular case, the bathrooms let the restaurant down. They’re not designated male and female toilets, which some find off-putting. They are however individual rooms with one toilet, sink etc, which can be better than a big bathroom with stalls, it’s definitely more private. There’s an eery red light in the bathroom though, perhaps it’s meant to match with the red glow of the restaurant? It doesn’t work in the same way though, and just gives off a creepy red light district effect.

Dessert arrived and they both looked absolutely amazing! Major points to Red Snail for presentation on this one. We had ordered the Belgium Chocolate Mousse and the Passionfruit Cheesecake. The mousse wasn’t too rich or soft, which was great and the biscuit base gave some texture. The cheesecake was beautifully creamy and rich with plenty of passionfruit sauce and the garnish was crunchy.


The Red Snail delivers on its promise of classic French food without the sky high bill. The charming restaurant offers efficient friendly service and beautifully presented great tasting food. For $35.00 for three courses, it’s an absolute steal and at only $25.00 on Sunday nights, you’d be mad not to try it.

Cnr Kings Cross Rd & Ward Ave
Darlinghurst 2010
Ph: (02) 9357 4919

Opening Hours
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Sat & Sun Fri – Sun Tues - Sun
8am 12pm 5pm - Late

Price
3 Courses $35
Sunday 3 Courses $25

Lotforty

Only having opened in March, Lotforty is still a relatively new and undiscovered Tapas bar, but don’t let that fool you into thinking you’re in for Spanish cuisine.

Lotforty, like many of Sydney’s Tapas joints offers Modern Australian cuisine at a price where you can afford to try a selection of dishes. This is the thought behind Lotforty, according to manager, Timothy Elchah, whose restaurant offers a menu that’s a mix of Modern Australian with an Asian infusion from their Asian Chef.

Lotforty is a place you’ll decide you’re going to before you arrive. You don’t have much of a chance of stumbling across it, as it’s hidden way up the top of Kings Lane. If you are fortunate enough to find it though, you’ll be in for a treat. The warmly lit restaurant is divided over two equally tiny floors, seating 50 all together. You’ll want to book for this one as the word is spreading fast; we managed to reserve the last two seats for the night.

Elchah has created a warm feel with polished wooden tables and tea candles, wooden and padded four leg stools and walls of wood and dark rich colours. Lotforty is great for a fun-filled night out and whilst it looks perfect for a date, the wooden floors can make it quite noisy depending on your neighbouring tables!

The attention is in the details with modern, nicely present menus, friendly, helpful staff, slices of lemon in the water, a wipe down of the table in between Tapas and dessert, and a complementary appetiser of a toothpick salad in a shot glass, which was very cool!

The one page menu is arranged in ascending price order with dishes ranging from $7.00-$14.00. We ordered six dishes to share between the two of us.

First to arrive was the Thai Chicken Salad ($12). The salad came in four portions and had authentic Thai flavours with a hint of spice. It was served in a similar style to the Chinese San Choy Bow – in a lettuce leaf. I noted however that we were only given tiny cocktail napkins to eat finger food, which left us with greasy fingers and not a lot of room to wipe them on.

Next to arrive were the Scallops ($10), two portions served in the shell. When the menu said they had prosciutto, I imaged it to be thin and crispy or thin and soft. It was neither and seemed more like diced ham. The olive tapenade was delicious though and the dish had a wonderful texture – a mixture of the fleshy scallop with something chewy and something crunchy all mixed in!

We were off to a fantastic start with the food. The bruschetta ($7) arrived next and this was one of the two dishes my partner was most looking forward to. He was let down though as the tomato was quite soggy and we found the dish lacked flavour. Perhaps the tomatoes they were using weren’t great or the dish was left out too long?

Not to worry, the seared beef ($12) was up next and my partner loved this. It was very peppery and quite salty. Personally however, I thought it was too oily.

This was followed by the Pear and Gorgonzola salad ($8) which looked wonderful on the plate. The cheese was very strong and the sauce was sweet, which gave the salad a great mix of sweet and savoury.

The second dish my partner was eagerly waiting for arrived, the duck pancakes ($12). This is also their signature dish. I was intrigued as they weren’t what I was expecting. Usually, duck pancakes are served on a small bland crepe (think Peking duck), but these were rolled up in thick breakfast style pancakes with some crispy onion on top. They were very hot and very sweet. My partner easily could have polished off another order and later said this was his favourite dish.

Chowing our way through each dish, we were sad to see the end and so decided to see the dessert menu! We ordered a dessert each with the intention to share and although I was quite full, my partner assured me he could finish them both off if needed (how generous!).

The desserts were each $9 and we decided on the flourless chocolate cake and a banana tart. The cake surprised me as it was served as a slice, whereas I was expecting a small, yet whole cake. It was served with sugared nuts, caramel sauce and fresh strawberries. The sauce gave moisture to the cake, which was very rich. The banana dessert looked fantastic on the plate and was a yummy mixture of warm coffee cream and cool mascarpone. The banana and coffee cream were sweet, so the mascarpone broke up the flavour well.

We had a fantastic night with well presented, great tasting food and friendly service. It was great to see that the staff were so efficient, considering that we were seated upstairs, away from the counter and door. The dishes are well priced and the tapas style menu worked really well, allowing us to sample a range of different flavours, which would perhaps be overpowering if we had just the one large dish.

40 Kings Lane

Darlinghurst 2010 NSW

Phone: (02) 9380 2728

Opening Hours

Wed-Fri noon-11pm

Sat-Sun 6pm-11pm

Price Range

$7.00 - $14.00