Sometimes I am a complete ditz.
I had been meaning to visit Bill and Toni's pub life in Surry Hills (the one which keeps posting oh-so-tantalising pictures of burger combinations on Facebook) ever since I visited the Balmain Bill and Toni's on September 8 last year. That is a bloody long while.
On the evening of the fourth day of the Sydney test versus India, finally the planets had aligned and Nathan I ventured to a little terrace near Oxford Street for a scrumptious burger. Needless to say, we ended up at the wrong joint.
Instead of strolling into burger heaven, we strolled into Bill and Toni's, the Italian heaven variety. We had landed upon the Stanley Street store that's been established for more than forty-five years in East Sydney's "Little Italy."
Hungry, exhausted and lost, Nathan and I, although desperately craving a burger, decided to give said Bill and Toni's a try, even though this meant we had to carry ourselves off to a nearby pub and wait for the restaurant half of Bill and Toni's to open at six (there's a cafe downstairs). What seemed like a decade later, we were finally seated.
The decor at this institutional restaurant is a bit outdated and, dare-I-say, ugly. The tables are tiny - as we would later discover when we could barely fit our food on them - and covered in paper sheets and too close to one another. The restaurant is dominated by a horrible tungsten light and the area on a whole appears a little cramped. Nonetheless, I am sure I would've had a different opinion if say, we were sitting on the tiny, long balcony outside which has exquisite views of the historic, tree-lined street.
The value for money at Bill and Toni's is astounding. Before even ordering we received a complimentary tray of bread and orange cordial. Although the crust of the bread was a bit tough and I am very much past the cordial stage, it is the thought that counts, right?
Nathan ordered the lamb shanks and I, the parmigiana. Five minutes after placing our order we received the above "salad." Now, I'm not sure about you but, personally, a bowl of lettuce leaves doused in watery vinegar aren't all that appealing. I started to get a bit worried thinking it would be just lettuce leaves and meat for us tonight.
Nath's lamb shanks were very tender and the sauce was a hit, the spinach accompanying both of our dishes was very tasty. However, the carrots were a bit overcooked. For $16, the serving was very decent.
My chicken parmigiana ($16) was divine. The sauce, the cheese, the eggplant were perfect in both flavour and proportions. The chicken was tender and the serving size, like Nathan's, was great value.
Bill and Toni's is not about fine dining. Rather, as seen from the above picture of the menu board, it's about cheap, value-for-money, simple Italian food, which is made all the better consumed in Bill and Toni's staple environment: homely, with a large side of friendliness and comfort.
If you want cheap, fast food served with a smile, warmth and genuine care, this Stanley Street institution is for you. For me, the slight venture off course was certainly well worth it.
Bill and Toni's, 74 Stanley Street, Sydney
