Everyone loves a meatball, so it’s no surprise that Sydney’s new polpette bar Palle is really taking off.

The new restaurant joins chef-owner Eugenio Maiale’s portfolio of Italian staples – A Tavola and Flour Eggs Water. Only this time around, they’ve ditched the pasta and gone straight to the sauce. The menu revolves around Maiale’s family meatball recipe, which includes a mix of pork, veal and chicken mince, seasoned with anchovy and garlic.

“Mum’s recipe was basic, but it was full of sustenance and love,” Maiale tells delicious. “Palle is all about bringing back comfort, nostalgia, and love, in a fun and playful way. Mixed with a caring hand, rolled with intention, and baked or fired ready for the grand finale – meatballs spark joy and they scream love and good times.”

The cheerful new Tramsheds eatery boasts bright and bouncy interiors. Rainbow-speckled terrazzo tables are grouped with plastic chairs, while pink and teal arches look straight out of a Playschool set. It’s a very kid-friendly space, but Palle is not just for the under fives. It’s for anyone who believes that meatballs deserve their own food group.

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Speaking of which, we hope you actually like meatballs, because there’s a motza to choose from. The menu revolves around six variations, which can be ordered on top of spaghetti, slotted in a sub, or simply on their own.

Get the ball rolling with the chicken parmigiana meatballs, which come topped with tomato sugo and melted mozzarella, like a pub parma in spherical form.

Skip the crumbly sub, the classic Maiale meatballs taste better on their own. They’re simple and comforting, just like Maiale says. Choose from the standard set or go all out with a bucket of 12.

Too meaty for you? There’s also a serve of porcini mushroom, tallegio and rice balls (aka arancini) each anointed with a dab of whipped almond skordalia.

Responsible adults may feel inclined to get a side. Expand into other parts of the food pyramid with the quinoa salad loaded with pumpkin, kale, raisins and feta, or double down on the gluttony with the loaded fries flecked with crispy prosciutto and finished with stringy mozzarella cheese. Or just get another bowl of balls, we’re not here to judge.

Dessert follows theme with the house made bombolini (that’s right, more balls). Like Italian doughnut holes, these fried orbs come sprinkled in cinnamon sugar and stuffed with flavoured custard. Our pick is the classic vanilla, but there’s Nutella, dulce de leche and a sweet-tart lemon curd too.

Drinks keep it simple with spritz cocktails and Aussie beers and wines. No need to get up – you can order at the table using the Mr Yum app.

By now you should be ready to roll home (can someone please just give me a push?).

Perhaps the only place that Palle drops the ball is with the takeaway offering, currently there is none, although we’re told it’s on the way.

As homely as the interiors are, this is the kind of comfort food tastes even better on the couch.

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