Gran Torino Double Bay Claim this business

CHICiCAT HQon Google

3 months ago

A couple of weeks ago, we had a birthday celebration dinner at Gran Torino Double Bay. For entrée we had the Tortelli alla Lombarda (filled with pumpkin) & the Lobster Tortellini in Brodo, and for mains we had the Brassato of David Blackmore Wagyu Beef Cheek & the Trippa alla Romana (tripe). Our sides were the Mixed Leaf Salad & the Twice Cooked Potato Rosti. Our delicious meal was finished with Buttermilk Pannacotta & the Thousand Layer Apple Cake. I'm generally not a huge dessert person who tends to have a taste of a shared dessert but the apple cake was surprisingly not overly sweet & uncharacteristically I finished a whole dessert on my own. Last night I returned for a quick dinner on my own (without a reservation) just to have the tripe dish again as tripe is rarely offered on menus and Gran Torino's tripe is so divinely delicious that I might just have to have it on repeat regularly. For starters, I had the Tortelli this time as pumpkin pasta is a favourite & I had the lobster previously. It will be hard on my next visit whether to have my favourites (the tripe & the pumpkin pasta) or try other dishes. Whilst the birthday dinner for 2 including alcohol was about $360, my dinner last night was under $80.

Kalli Spenceron Google

3 months ago

Neil Perry and team know what they are doing at this delightful stylish contemporary Italian. Second time having the bolognese, because it's that good. But the real treat was the dessert- the Cassata. So many good things are packed into each bite of this. What a pleasant surprise. My guests raved about the Blue Swimmer Crab Pasta. And we all could have filled up on the moreish Foccacia- what a good way to get started. The Margaret River Chardonnay as recommended by the in house sommelier was the perfect complement to the meal.

Oliviaon Google

2 months ago

We left feeling quite disappointed with our experience here, especially given the hype and price point. While the ingredients were clearly fresh, felt that the kitchen struggled with flavour balance. Nearly every dish leaned into an extreme of being either too salty, too oily, too sweet, or too bitter. The meal started with the tomato olive and rosemary focaccia, which was average. However, the deep-fried olives stuffed with veal and parmesan were absolutely amazing. In fact, it was the only dish of the entire night that felt perfectly well-balanced. And the appetisers, the beef tartare, seafood platter, and warm calamari in nduja butter was extremely salty that it felt like the natural freshness of the seafood was masked rather than elevated. They completely forgot the kingfish canapes, which were supposed to be served before all the other appetisers. Because we were already struggling with the heavy saltiness of the other dishes, missing that lighter starter ruined the flow of the meal. To their credit, the staff acknowledged this mistake very quickly, which we did appreciate. For the mains, the squid ink pasta with prawn and pistachio was really tasty at first but leaned far too oily (pool of oil left at the bottom). The grilled coral trout with chilli seasoning was a similar story. The fish was perfectly cooked, but the skin was so salty that I could feel chunks of salt flakes. As for the side, I usually love Jerusalem artichokes, but these were over-caramelised that the sweetness was overwhelming and they ended up with a sticky, teeth-coating texture. Even dessert missed the mark on balance. The tiramisu is a generous size and great for sharing, and the cream itself was absolutely amazing. However, the bottom sponge wasn't just soaked, it was sitting in a literal pool of coffee, leaving the base intensely bitter. For the price you pay, you expect a nuanced, enjoyable balance of flavours. But we left with bloated stomach from drinking too much water to dilute the overwhelming flavours. Fresh ingredients only go so far when the execution feels this heavy-handed…

Simon Dimascioon Google

4 months ago

Authentic Italian food flavours with delicate but complimentary combinations. Downstairs is stylish and the floor to ceiling windows are great for people watching ! I went for the second time and dined in the larger upstairs area. The atmosphere is lively with chatter but not too loud. If you have a window seat you can still people watch outside ! Once again the flavour combinations were fantastic and the staff service very friendly and professional

David Biharion Google

3 weeks ago

Big and brassy! Great food and excellent wine list! Expensive - $200 per head! You get what you pay for! The young people loved it - I prefer small and intimate!