Signorelli Gastronomia, Pyrmont

Signorelli Gastronomia whole porchetta with agrodolce (24hrs' notice required)

"Do you mind if I take a photo?"

I often wonder if it's socially acceptable when dining out to ask another table if I can photograph their food, but tonight is the first time I act on it. The listing of a whole suckling pig on the menu at Signorelli Gastronomia sends my pulse racing until I read the 24-hour pre-order condition and my heart sinks.

When a baby pig is delivered to a table behind us, the entire room of patrons swivel their necks in its direction. The pig is actually quite small in size, and the six Asian diners are already snapping photos on their cameras and iPhones.

I sidle up shyly, camera in hand, and ask politely. "Sure," one of the group members replies, and motions his hand toward the dish. After I've taken a shot, he offers "I can take a photo of you with the pig if you want." I laugh, and politely decline.

The pig, roasted whole in the oven until gift-wrapped in crackling, is chopped up and served on two plates. According to the menu, the whole pig is served with creamed potato, brussel sprouts and cavolo nero and costs $40 per person (minimum 6 people). I think I know where I'm heading for my birthday dinner!

Signorelli Gastronomia is not easily found without directions. You wouldn't know it was hidden on the ground floor of the Accenture building at Pyrmont - there are no signs at the entrance, and even when I walk past the security desk, I'm still not quite sure I'm in the right place.

And then, there it is. A gleaming providore that is like a wonderland of treats - shelves of gourmet items to the left, a view of the expansive kitchen on your right and a well-stocked deli counter that beckons straight ahead.

Smallgoods counter

Salamis, ropes of garlic and a leg of prosciutto with hoof attached, hang over the smallgoods counter, a sight that is made even more alluring by the row of five kilo Nutella jars alongside it. Fresh truffles are also sold here, and I catch a lingering trail of their musty allure in the air. In the fridges opposite are cheeses, yoghurts, butter and specialty items like Spanish mojama smoked tuna loins ($180 per kg). I can only smile as the strains of That's Amore swell ver the speaker system.

Cheese room

In the back corner of the room is the pizza stone oven and preparation area. The suckling pigs are also roasted in the tall standing oven. Running adjacent to this are my idea of pre-dinner entertainment - a walk-in cheese room, wine room and champagne room, all of which are refrigerated. The cellar shop is also impressive, grouped by country and tastefully decorated with wicker baskets and dried floral arrangements.

Volcanic sea salt flakes

Head chef Naomi Lowry says that Signorelli Gastronomia is committed offering things that are different and a little out of the ordinary, hence the dishes of black volcanic sea salt flakes that are dispensed with pre-dinner breads and olive oil to each table. The delicate crystals, still in a pyramid shape if you're lucky, always add an extra sense of texture with their shattering fragility.

Antipasto platter $22

The A3 menu acts as a place mat for each table, and D and I deliberate painfully over our choices. Whilst we collaborate, we pick at an antipasto platter, a rustic wooden paddle laden with shavings of

wagyu bresaola, S

an Daniele prosciutto,

Calabrese salame and c

apocollo (coppa) Calabrian dry-cured pork.

Crisp breadsticks, plump olives and a pot of candied oranges provide contrast, and as we nibble our way through the platter, I find myself gravitating toward the San Daniele prosciutto as usual, ribboned with soft melting layers of creamy fat.

Asparagus soup amuse bouche

An amuse bouche of asparagus soup starts proceedings, an elegant shot glass that hides a glob of sour cream that hits the back of the throat with a welcome start.

Fettucine with braised goat, Jerusalem artichoke and chilli $18

The handmade pastas on the menu sound too good to resist, and we end up ordering three pasta dishes. Fettucine with braised goat is autumnal in colour, piled with crimson leaves of bitter radiccio and shards of deep-fried basil leaves and parsley that look like dark green cellophane. The braised goat has been shredded and is surprisingly mild in flavour, although part of me wishes there was a rich sauce alongside it to bring out the gaminess of the goat.

On the sommelier's recommendation, we share a bottle of 2007 Petalos del Bierzo Mencia ($51), a smooth and elegant red made from old vines in north-western Spain that reminds me of blackberries and plums.

Gnocchi quattro formaggi with sage $17

Can gnocchi really be as soft as a pillow?

I'd yet to find this holy grail.

Until now.

The gnocchi, slicked with a sauce made from four cheeses, dissolves in the mouth like a scoop of the fluffiest mashed potato. I marvel at the sensation as I repeat the process, no chewing required. It's a revelatory experience.

Open lasagna $16

with braised oxtail, bone marrow jus and baby turnip

Open lasagna is another highlight. Silky lasagna sheets are interleaved with braised oxtail, drowned in a salty meaty jus that screams winter comfort food. The dish is a textural winner, the slippery pasta gliding sensually down the throat, occasional finds of plump bone marrow offering a fatty treat.

The open lasagna, we're told, is one of the trattoria's most popular dishes. We're not surprised.

Rangers Valley scotch fillet $36

with fondant potato, house smoked baby beets and mostardo al tartufo

By contrast, I find the Rangers Valley scotch fillet a little disappointing and somewhat chewy, an accompanying side of fondant potato oddly mealy as well. A quenelle of truffle mustard does add a touch of decadence and the house smoked baby beet is delicious - earthy, yielding and sweet.

Pizza stone oven

The trattoria is positioned directly in front of the pizza area, and strategically tilted mirrors above the prep bench enable patrons to watch the chef at work.

Making Nutella pizza - hello five kilos of Nutella!

Of course I'm all eyes when the five kilo jar of Nutella comes out.

Raclette

D and I are both in the mood for cheese so we order the raclette, a wedge of cheese beautifully served on a wooden cutting board with rosemary-staked quince paste, candied orange, dried muscatels and two wooden spoons of aromatic truffled honey.

Crispbread and sourdough

Crispbread and sourdough is delivered in a recycled plywood crate, the extra care with presentation creating a sense of occasion and attentiveness.

Affogato $9.50

We can't leave without trying the affogato, their signature dessert. It is unlike any other affogato I've tried, a wooden board holding an espresso, a petite saucepan of vanilla gelato, and a glass platter of Nocello spheres.

Nocello spheres

Nocello, an Italian hazelnut and walnut-flavoured liquer, has been transformed into glossy-looking marbles by a process of spherification using sodium alginate. We pour the cold espresso over the gelato and eat with the spheres of Nocello.

The spheres remind me of salmon roe in texture, a jelly-like membrane that finally gives way to release a burst of liquid. The Nocello doesn't taste very alcoholic, and whilst there's a sense of novelty about the dish, I prefer the traditional simplicity of an icy cold gelato slowly melting from a baptism of espresso. The gelato would probably benefit from being colder so it doesn't melt as much too.

Meantime, I've got a date with a piglet due.

Grab Your Fork and D dined as guests of Signorelli Gastronomia

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Signorelli Gastronomia

Accenture building - ground floor

Trouton Place, 48 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont, Sydney

Tel: +61 (02) 8571 0616

Trattoria opening hours:

Lunch Monday to Saturday 12pm-3pm

Sunday 12pm-4pm

Dinner Thursday to Saturday 6pm-9.30pm

Store opening hours:

Monday to Friday 10am-8pm

Saturday 10am-4pm

Sunday 12pm-4pm

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