Berta, Surry Hills

Sneaky lane-way restaurants, unassuming doors and secret pin codes to enter…no we’re not in Melbourne. Sydney is changing. The eastern suburbs is home to the likes of Sticky Bar, LL Wine & Dine, Grasshopper and now Berta, the much-anticipated little sister of Italian trattoria Vini in Surry Hills.

Half the fun is finding this place, except when it is 5 degrees and pouring rain. In this case one may be excused for taking a $5 taxi from Central.

Walking up Alberta St, mind you don’t miss the entrance to Berta and accidently ring the doorbell of the apartments next door (What? It could happen to anyone dammit!)

Polished concrete floors lead the way to a sleek dining space. Large glass windows stand between diners and a well-lit laneway. It almost looks like an installation that’s been constructed just for our viewing pleasure.

You’ll find the menu and wine list on large chalkboards that remind me of Fratelli Paradiso.

Tweedle Dee joins me and while we wait for the confused and lost Tweedle Dum we order Negroni’s. Finally T-Dum finds the place and we debate over the wine list. We’re spoilt for choice and opt for a bottle of Montepulianco 08 and waste no time drinking it.

Always a fan of sharing food, Berta is a great place to sample lots of small dishes. We order the Grissini and olives ($8) and Chickpea and fried cauliflower ($12) to start. The olives are warm…love warm olives! The chickpea and cauliflower dish is delicious and a great starter.

We then move on to the cuttlefish zucchini preserved lemon ($9) which none of us particularly enjoy, the textures are a bit too squirmy. The scallop’s sugna breadcrumbs ($13.50) are delicious but small and we regret only ordering one each. Our favourite dish of the evening is the polenta mushrooms taleggio ($16). Wow!! Delicious, it’s a must try.

We have Formaggi ($30) to finish, an assortment of delicious cheeses, quince paste, honey and pears. The servings are generous and we awkwardly bump knives over the last piece.

Just as we thought we couldn’t fit another bite in our waitress suggests desert. Oh go on then! We order the tart ($12) and 3 glasses of desert wine…the perfect way to end our night.

Berta is located centrally in the middle for Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and the CBD. I’d be happy for a gent to take me there on a date or as a place to catch up with a small intimate group of girlfriends (no more that 4, it gets crowded inside). The dishes are reasonably priced, it is the wine that will impact the bill and make it an expensive mid week dinner.

You can’t book at Berta and like any hidden gem the word is quickly spreading. Arrive after 8pm any night of the week and you will be waiting…a sign of a good restaurant.

http://www.berta.com.au/ 17-19 Alberta St, Sydney 2000 
ph 9264 6133   opening hours: mon-sat 5pm-late

Tags: Surry Hills

Category: Restaurants