There’s no thought of “too much of a good thing” when the Paradiso boys are concerned. Just when you thought the clan couldn’t get any sexier they pop into Paddington with their new wine bar 10 William Street- a marketing ploy to recall where you are heading after a few at the Paddington Inn? I think so…
Chances are you will need to wait for a table anyhow. If you thought that an extra venue for brothers Enrico and Giovanni ‘Johnny’ Paradiso and business partner Marco Ambrosino would mean better chances of getting at table, you’d be sorely mistaken. 10 William Street is even more jam-packed than Fratelli Paradiso though luckily because of speedy service and attentive staff, things can turn over quite quickly.
The atmosphere at 10 William Street is very similar to the Paradiso- dark, smoldering and European and I like it. There is just the right mix of what we love about the Italians without the arrogant attitude that comes when asking for advice about the wine. And the wine is definitely something you’ll want to explore here for a few reasons. (1) There are far too many exceptionally rare bottles that are a must try (this is not the place to settle for your usual pinot.) (2) The knowledge of the staff cannot be wasted, Matt Young (ex-Aria) and Dave Meyers (ex-Bentley Bar and recently, the Riverview Hotel) are well acquainted in the ways of the grape and can always find you something you’ll like and (3) you are in a wine bar for goodness sake!
But if wine is not really your thing, you still won’t be short of beverages to choose from. The negroni (mix of gin, vermouth and campari) is the house cocktail, though my personal favourite and one of the best I’ve had around is their campari orange ($10), which I welcome with even more delight than usual when the bartender informs me that blood orange is all they have available. Sigh… Well, a girl’s got to make do!
I could leave it at that really and go home a very happy camper but we have already ordered our bar snacks. The menu goes with the same pretense as the sister restaurant, still all Italian and in Italian of course but with smaller ‘snack’ sized portions; and don’t fret the menu is easy to decipher though a friendly staff member will always offer to assist in translating.
One thing you can always trust from the Paradiso crew is that you will always be presented with produce that’s so fresh it jumps off the plate; and to comply with this, the menu is seasonal and changes daily. On our visit, I could not go past the burrata (a cheese very similar to buffalo mozzarella) with heirloom tomatoes ($18). It is very simple but very delicious and you will most likely need to ask for extra bread to soak up the glorious dressing- that I later find they bring us free of charge. Isn’t it always a bonus when bread is not included in the service charge? The arancini ($6) are crispy and hot, making for the perfect bar snack and suit the prosciutto focaccia ($16) quite nicely.
The importance here is placed on great quality ingredients that are super fresh and if you can truly appreciate that over innovation, then you will be more than happy to sit here for hours. Also, if you can squeeze it out of them, ask for some grissini. It’s not on the menu but they are gloriously sweet, not like your standard grissini, almost like a brioche breadstick. I guess I spoke too soon! There are subtle accents of originality here and there; you just have to know where to look. Ok, I give up… you’ve done it again boys!
10 William Street
Paddington
2021 NSW
02 9360 3310
Mon-Thu 5pm-late
Fri-Sat noon-late
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