Tucked away amongst the heaven of high fashion in Sydney’s Strand Arcade lies the iconic Pendolino, run by owner Nino Zoccali and head chef Dean Worthy. They allure diners with world class service, regionally-inspired Italian cuisine and best of all, a dedicated pasta kitchen. As you pass through the entrance lined with curly black wrought iron you’ll be instantly romanced by the ambiance of the sophisticated dining room.

Pendolino pampers its diners with A-class service complete with swooning sommelier, however it comes at a generous price — $94 for a two-course minimum to be exact. They have an impressive olive oil selection that boasts 11 premium varieties, some of which are served to start alongside fresh artisanal bread baskets and juicy, crumbed, deep fried Sicilian olives.

Their pasta kitchen is turning out some real table talkers, in particular, the ravioli di magro; handmade spinach ravioli with artisan cheese and burnt butter, and the forest mushroom pappardelle with organic egg yolk and porcini salt. A glass of hand selected Nero D’Avola from the southern Sicilian province of Agrigento really turns up the volume, too.

A unique offering on the menu is the Knödel, a dish that originates from the very northern part of Italy near Austria. It’s a dumpling made from Alto Adige bread, spinach and cheese, immersed in beef broth with roasted bone marrow. The broad scope of Zoccali’s regional creations is further exemplified in the Fregola and Seafood. Fregola is a small, coarse Sardinian-style pasta and this dish carries a delicate balance of flavours with Spencer Gulf Prawn, Port Lincoln sardine, black mussels, baby scallops, southern calamari, pine nuts, currants, crustacean pangrattato and prawn oil.

Sample the for a sensational end to your Pendolino experience, made from nougat, Ligurian honey and almond milk. It’s creamy, full of crunch and presented beautifully. Also note the vintage Penfolds wine boxes gliding around the room, they contain your parting gift of a semi-sweet cocoa-dusted chocolate truffle.

Must eat dish: Forest Mushroom Pappardelle