In Short: Authentic Italian food with a taste of Sicily in every bite. Welcoming communal space that serves some of Sydney’s very best pizza. Buonissimo!

Society Di Catania Potts Point Video Review

There’s pizza, and then there’s PIZZA. In a world dominated by “Pizza Value Meals” delivered on the back of a scooter, it can be easy to forget what real pizza actually tastes like. Real pizza comes from the passion of the pizzaiolos, who hone their craft so we can experience the simple joy that quality pizza promises. That passion and promise are definitely being delivered to the table at Society Di Catania in Sydney’s Potts Point.

Society Di Catania’s Potts Point location takes all the deliciously traditional, tarantella seasoned tastes of their renowned Bondi store, and refines the experience into a contemporary, communal space. Dominated by eclectic artwork in the framed images of Italian hand gestures (un semplice gesto: a simple gesture), that leave no table short of conversations starters, Society Di Catania’s new home invites with large open windows that join tree-shaded al fresco seating with the warm, wood and tile textured indoor dining.

Society Di Catania founder, Jonathan Faro and his enormously welcoming and friendly team, give us the unique opportunity to witness the magic of his head chef Matteo Corno in the kitchen, and professional pizzaiolos Matteo (yep, two Matteos in one kitchen!) and Umberto, as they produce one tasty treasure after another from their ironbark wood fired oven. Everything is from scratch, as we watch simple flour and other seasonal ingredients transform into creations that take us back to the streets of Italy.

If you’ve never had a Margherita pizza pulled right from the oven, still steaming, cheese bubbling, crust toasting, then Society’s pizza bar needs to be added to your bucket list. Check out our video to see what you’re missing, as these guys line up some of the very best slices we’ve ever tasted. What’s even more impressive, and a revelation for those on gluten free diets who thought good pizza was a pipedream, is Society Di Catania’s uncompromisingly delicious gluten free pizzas. No more tough, dry, cardboard crust substitutes here. These are light, airy, crispy, and just what us poor pizza deprived, gluten intolerant gastrophiles have been yearning for!

Not content to wow us with a bounty of traditional sized pizzas, the team pull out the big guns with the One Metre Pizza. If you can’t choose just one of Society Di Catania’s pizzas, why not try three?! The One Metre Pizza allows you to put up to three different pizza varieties, from either their Pizza Rossa (tomato-base) or Pizza Bianca (white-base) menu, on this massively decadent landing strip of pizza perfection. Jonathan, Matteo, and Umberto combine the Margherita (Fior di Latte mozzarella, basil), Rucola (Fior di latte, spicy salami, onion, olive, roasted capsicum, chilli) , and Marcantonio (Fior di latte, prosciutto di Parma, ricotta, truffle oil) and deliver this epic creation to the table where we’ve had to recruit Vittoria, Marco, Chiara, and Kayla to join the extended Coco & Vine team, just to make a dent in this cheesy behemoth. With Society Di Catania’s attention to quality ingredients and passion for their preparation, every one of the pizza flavours spoke to authentic tastes from the motherland.

Like Juliet’s Romeo, pizza can’t be too far from pasta; so with the same dedication to quality, the kitchen serves up a trio of pastas that each feature quintessential Italian favourites. The Spaghetti with tomato, fried eggplant and salted ricotta exudes a hearty richness and the tastes of Sicily, in its thick sauce that ideally complements the eggplant. The salted ricotta adds silkiness and body to a delightfully comforting plate.

The special Tagliatelle with seafood and mixed vegetables is luscious in its coastal influenced simplicity. With a light sauce that coalesces the flavours of the sea with those of the garden, the satisfying bite of the pasta casts our memories back to many a summer afternoon eating by Sicilian seaside ports.

Gnocchi is a personal favourite of mine, as anyone who reads our blog knows all too well! So when the chef graced our table with the Gnocchi Con Funghi, I had to put down my camera and take it all in. Wild mushrooms bathed in gorgonzola DOP intermingle with the tender gnocchi dumplings crowned with truffle flakes. I’m not sure there’s much more I can say, than ‘heaven’.

A fresh contrast is always ‘di rigore’ in fine Italian cuisine, so a splash of colour and contrast brightens the banquet with the Caprese Salad. Vine ripened tomatoes, with fresh bufala and basil dance in a bowl that complements all the other plates so perfectly. It’s the flavours of an Italian summer, and we’re soaking in the sunlight.

The licoricey notes of fennel should take centre stage far more often in all types of cuisine. It’s such a refreshing and distinct flavour profile that can also lift so many other ingredients to greater heights. Combine that clean flavour with a citrus, and you get an Orange and Fennel Salad that sparks on the tongue.

It’s time to take a breather and indulge in the other essential ingredient of any good Italian meal, conversation. While we compare notes on this memorable stroll through the rich, culinary influences of Sicily, Matteo has yet another surprise, or two, in store. Bearing his name, Matteo’s Crème Brulee is crackling and creamy. The dark, burnt caramel notes of the candied crust contrast with the silky, fresh, vanilla custard.

Tiramisu is a contentious topic in an Italian family. It’s one of those dishes that can make, or break, your cooking cred with the rest of the zias, zios, nonni, and cugini. So when Matteo’s classic Tiramisu topped the table, there was anticipation to taste and tally up its spot in the tiramisu rankings. We’re happy to report that Matteo can rest easy, his Nonna would be proud! Simplicity is key with this dessert; use the best ingredients and let them do the talking. The fresh whipped mascarpone envelopes the coffee-soaked savoiardi resulting in a rich, yet light, layered spoonful.

Society Di Catania does everything a good Italian restaurant should; it sources quality ingredients, crafts them with passion, and welcomes its guests as if they were part of the ‘famiglia’. The atmosphere, and philosophy is perfectly captured in the saying on their menu, “…amore, famiglia, mangiare e bere; queste sono le cose per cui vale la pena vivere…” (Translation: love, family, eating and drinking; these are the things that make life worth living). We think so too, so now it’s your turn to pull up a chair, and indulge in la bella vita…

* Coco & Vine dined as guests of Society Di Catania.