Buffalo Dining Club Review

As soon as he mentions the cheese wheel my mind is made up.

I have been in Sydney for an hour and my dear friend, a local, is rolling out the dinner options. He has done his homework and the decision is becoming difficult until we hit the C word. Cheese. A restaurant with a focus on cheese.

Mmm cheese. 

Where was I? Oh yes, Buffalo Dining Club, named of course after buffalo mozzarella, imported from Campania. No bookings are taken (except for large groups) so we leave our name and head across the road to the lovely Li’l Darlin for wine and cocktails. Just as we are finishing our drinks we get the call that our table is ready (what a dreadful way to start an evening 😉 ).

The local orders for us- definitely the Cacio e pepe (i.e. cheese wheel pasta), the gnocchi (because gnocchi!) and a selection of starters. Within minutes this arrives:

Buffalo Mozzarella, tempura cauliflower and chilli broccolini ($20).

The buffalo mozzarella is perfection in a cheese (and honestly, cheese is already pretty close to perfection). A springy cloud of rich melt-in-your-mouth cheese with a sprinkle of salt and good olive oil. The broccolini was nicely cooked with a slight crunch and the tempura cauliflower was tender and crunchy in all the right places. I am loving that the world has returned to cauliflower love.

A medium serve of smoky salty Prosciutto San Daniele arrived on butchers paper. I felt like we were having an uber-gourmet picnic.

Next up an all-time swoon of mine: zucchini flowers ($16)

Stuffed with silky cheese and perfectly fried.

This was the dish we had been waiting for, Spaghetti Caccio e Pepe ($20). A large wheel of pecorino arrives in front of you, filled with pasta dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil and parsley. The waiter tosses the pasta so that it is coated with a thin film of oozy pecorino before scooping it out, including little chunks of cheese into a bowl. This is the epitome of italian food- fresh and simple with top quality ingredients.

We also get the Buffalo Ricotta Gnocchi ($20) at which point I am so overcome with cheese I dive in before remembering to take a snap.

 All gnocchi is wonderful but ricotta gnocchi tops the list. Little pillows of subtle, silky cheese in a rich napolitana sauce.

To drink

The list is small but with a great range of Italian varietals from both Australia and Italy.

We tried: 

2011 Vinedos Altamira Malbec- Medium bodied with sour cherries and a nice little grip of tannin.

2012 Pra Valpolicella – quite soft with nice florals and fruit. fairly simple but delicious

2012 Tarra Warra Pinot Noir – cherry and violet with nice tannin structure.

2010 Mocavero Primitivo – big and bold with rich fruit and lovely oaky tannins 

Service was super-casual but very friendly. One thing that really stood out for me was that, despite the restaurant being full, the staff were relaxed, content and not afraid to have a joke. 

Buffalo Dining Club is an absolute gem of a place. I have been known to wax lyrical about Melbourne dining, especially Italian, being the best in Australia, but these guys may just be proving me wrong.