This review is based on my third visit to Verde – a fantastic restaurant that we tumbled upon earlier this year.

This Italian restaurant is perfectly situated on the corner or Riley and Stanley streets in Darlinghurst, Sydney. While there are other restaurants around, they don’t seem to come close to the quality of Verde.

Inside, you have a split level setup with a bar and lounge on top with a good, but not too busy, seating capacity below.

The staff are very friendly and given the size of the restaurant have a good eye for detail to make sure you’re comfortable and well attended to.

We had been to their cocktail bar in both our previous visits, and their selection is well worthy to have a night for just drinks itself. Get friendly with the cocktail maker, and ask if he can treat you to a special taste that you have in mind.

The wine list at the restaurant is exceptional too. What I love was that the waitress actually asked if we needed help. Based on what we were planning to eat or felt like drinking, she could make a good suggestion. I decided to ask for help – I felt like a sweet wine, and she suggested an Italian variety – it was just what I needed. The lady knew her wine.

You get served a bread roll each while you wait for your food to turn up – but its not a bread worth talking about, so I’ll skip this part.

To start off with, I had the Truffle Infused Ricotta and Spinach Tortellini with Sage butter. Each bite had so much flavour of the cheese and sage butter with the right al dante cooked tortellini. The cheese wasn’t too strong or overpowering, and neither was the truffle oil. There were a few fried sage leaves which added some crispiness to the tortellini.

Mains was a challenge – a Sweet Bungalow Pork Loin, Soft Polenta and Honey Glazed Pear. The presentation was perfect. The pork sat on a bed of mashed polenta with the pear on the side, and a strip of a pork crackling lay on top over the pork and pear. That wasn’t what I was expecting and hence, a surprise to the dish. After munching on my pork crackling, I picked up my cutlery and it was time to tear into the pork. This has to be one of the best pork loins I have ever had. You have a contrast of tasting a bite of meat with either a savoury side with the polenta or the sweet side with the pear. We also ordered a side of their mixed salad that took the edge of the meaty dish when you wanted to bite on some leaves – but my attention span couldn’t deviate me from the pork.

With a good amount of effort and a appetite to match, I was able to complete my main. However, this left no room for dessert.

Bear in mind, in my past experiences at Verde, the desserts haven’t blown me away compared to the entree and mains. But I was half tempted by the special cheese & fruit plate.

On the money side of things, Verde isn’t your cheap meal. Be prepared to fork out up to $20 for entree and unto $35 for mains. Alternatively, you can request a degustation menu for $110 or $160 with wine.

What you do pay for is quality of food, good ambience, great staff and an overall experience. Verde is one restaurant, that I will always return to for a special occasion.

Oh, and I recommend you make a booking in advance. But on the plus side, if you just turn up you could be waiting in their upstairs cocktail lounge until your table is ready. It’s a win win situation.

www.verde.net.au