Naples-born head chef Stefano Bozza brings heavyweight credentials to Modo Mio, a local favourite that has quietly held its own in the Hills district since 2018.
Kevin Cheng
Italian$$
The Hills district in Sydney’s north-west has changed drastically since my days of being jammed onto the 610X bus from Baulkham Hills to Wynyard. What was once a long and frustrating commute from the city’s “bible belt” down the M2 is now just 35 minutes to and from the Sydney CBD via the metro. With that shift has come a wave of Sydney favourites setting up shop in the north-west corridor, including Gelato Messina, Mary’s and El Jannah. Before they arrived, however, there was Modo Mio, an Italian restaurant that has quietly held its own since 2018.
Located in a nondescript street away from the busy Castle Towers and Castle Mall, Modo Mio is buzzing with mostly locals on a Saturday night, ranging from couples to families with kids. Naples-born head chef Stefano Bozza brings heavyweight credentials, having trained at the three-Michelin-starred Reale in central Italy under chef Niko Romito before leading kitchens at Bvlgari hotels in Beijing and Milan. He joined Modo Mio about three years ago. His wife Giulia is also in the kitchen as sous chef, rounding out an all-Italian team.
The dining room is a sleek and intimate affair: black and grey painted walls, dark curtains and monochrome tones. Mushroom-shaped table lamps cast focused pools of light on white tablecloths. The wood-fired pizza oven is a striking feature in the semi-open kitchen area, emanating warmth and adding an element of theatre. This is not the Hills that I remember.
To start, our waiter recommends the antipasto, where shavings of prosciutto di Parma and soppressata arrive with Sardinian olives and salted ricotta. There’s also marinated eggplant and nuvola – puck-sized fluffy bread that’s baked to order. I wonder if a softer cheese like burrata or stracciatella could work beautifully when spread over the warm bread, but the antipasto assortment makes for an encouraging start.
Bozza’s fregola alle vongole takes you straight to the beaches of Sardinia. Clams are tossed with the fregola (that is, semolina rolled into tiny balls that always remind me of miniature bubble tea pearls – sorry Italy) with a bouncy, chewy bite that soaks up the essence of the clams. The smaller New Zealand clams are a considered touch, so as to not overwhelm the small fregola beads in both size and flavour. It’s a cracking dish that’s jolted by a light dusting of chilli powder.
Meanwhile, pacchero al pomodoro delivers a luscious, saucy experience, featuring hefty house-made pasta tubes smothered in a “pink sauce” combining a tomato with a butter and cream emulsion.
Modo Mio’s pizza style balances Neapolitan and Roman traditions, combining the pillowy crust of Naples and the crisp bite of Rome. The focaccia di polpo is unlike any I’ve tried before: A layer of octopus carpaccio, rocket, lemon and oregano resting on a base so fine and crisp it almost shatters with each bite. Tender and tinged with tartness, the octopus delivers a fresh hit in every mouthful, yet it leaves you wondering if a more substantial sauce on the base could have brought all the elements together.
There are some things that just aren’t firing altogether. A fritto di mare of fried squid and prawns is heavy on the batter and too salty. The tomato sauce slathered over meatballs is also overseasoned, which is a shame, as the meatballs themselves are super juicy.
The front-of-house team, while enthusiastic and attentive, don’t quite have the finesse of staff at the big-name inner-city Italians, but in a lively, jolly dining room with pizza and pasta flying out of the kitchen, it doesn’t really matter. Wines from the exclusively Italian list are still confidently recommended, showing a deep familiarity with Bozza’s food.
This is not the Hills that I remember.
Modo Mio means “my way” in Italian and this directly translates onto the plate and the overall experience. This is a restaurant that isn’t influenced by trends, especially from the big end of town, and it’s unequivocally and proudly Italian, through the ingredients, regional dishes and techniques.
I’m still rueing not paying more attention to the booking website to pre-order the tortellini in brodo, where the veal and pork parcels are served tableside in a clear broth. At least I can just hop on the metro and be in the Hills district in no time.
The low-down
Atmosphere: Sleek, chic Italian dining
Go-to dishes: Fregola alle vongole ($35); piatti di antipasto ($49); pacchero al pomodoro ($29)
Drinks: An all-Italian wine list with classic and inventive cocktails
Cost: About $200 for two, excluding drinks
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
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