Twelve, 15 Jan 2010


Monsieur Poisson and I have been eating at Twelve for years. The first year we were dating we spent my birthday here. When I left my last job, knowing that I like the place, it was here that colleagues chose to hold my farewell. That same year I gathered a large group of friends together to help me celebrate a significant birthday. We first ate at Twelve when the restaurant frontage was brown and now it’s red, although the blackboard wall featuring the specials is still here as well as their reasonable prices. The funny thing about us having eaten here so many times is that we have not actually sampled much of their menu. We are far more often than not attracted (or distracted) by the description of something on their specials board which changes on a regular basis.


Today we’re here to catch up with Ms Japan and we expect it to be a long dinner – when you get Ms Japan and I together the conversation can last absolute hours upon hours. Ms Japan settles back with a glass of red wine (unpictured) while I order a lemon, lime and bitters which arrives in a tall glass and is the colour of a beautiful, golden sunset – a reassuring sign that the bitters have not been skimped upon.


I am lucky that I know so many friends who are happy to share their food rather than digging into their individually ordered dishes. (Just as an aside, I’m always surprised and intrigued when I spot couples dining who both order the exact same thing. Most funny when I once saw a couple eating a pizza each, both with the same toppings!) This practice, of course, allows for a much more varied dining experience and a greater ability to taste-test different things. And thus we start our dinner with the ‘Risotto with prawns & porcini cream’ from the specials board.


Prawns and porcini is not a coupling that springs to mind when I think of risottos. The mushroom brown dish arrives with a slightly wet and sticky appearance punctuated by orange curls of shelled prawns. But then it somehow seems to work – the sweetness of the slippery prawns, the earthiness of the porcini and the mushroom-fragranced al dente rice. I’m surprised!

This is followed by another offering from the specials board: the ‘Spaghettini with crab, napolitana, basil & chilli’. This is a real summery pasta for me with the strands of sweet crabmeat, which is light in texture, tossed through the thinnish pasta and bound together by a sweet tomato sauce given a bit of a kick with the addition of chilli. The pasta is perfectly cooked and I keep digging in for more.


And then finally for something from Twelve’s standard menu! It’s their ‘Pumpkin & fetta pizza’ and pizzas are something that are done consistently well here, especially if you like your bases thin and crisp. Unfortunately you’re out of luck if you prefer a doughier or fluffier base but no complaints can be made about the toppings which usually revolve around a couple of starring ingredients which are always evenly spread with care.


Sadly it is much more difficult when it comes to sharing the desserts. We order two and the first to arrive is the board special of ‘Trio chocolate - mousse, sorbet & tart’. We have been given individual plates to aid our sharing but they’re warm, so the mousse and sorbet melt almost instantaneously upon contact. We all like the mousse which is light and airy but the sorbet is a little heavy on the cocoa which gives a slight bitter and powdery aftertaste. The tart is rich and dense with a firm texture and is encased by a crunchy biscuity base.


The other dessert falls under my husband’s category of favourites – it’s a dessert pizza and features banana. A crêpe-like base is the vessel for banana sliced thinly on the diagonal and dotted with chocolate chips. A dusting of icing sugar and scoop of vanilla ice-cream following the pizza’s stint in the oven and the dessert is complete.


Along with some coffees (unpictured) we are thoroughly stuffed full of food. We linger on with our conversation and have our water glasses diligently and continually refilled by the waitstaff.

222 King St (btwn Brown & Whateley St), Newtown NSW
Tel: (02) 9519 9412

Opening Hours:  Sun & Mon  CLOSED
Tues-Sat  dinner only from 5:30pm

Twelve on Urbanspoon

happy eating!

16 comments:

  1. I love the look of that Risotto. Porcini and prawns are an interesting combination. The dessert looks incredible too. Yum..

    ReplyDelete
  2. This place is quite good and a good choice when it comes to King Street.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I used to walk past this place every morning before work, shame I never tried their food. The pasta and risotto look amazing and the desserts are plated up so cutely!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ahh I used to go to Twelve quite often. We always used to get the bruschetta pizza :) Haven't been back in ages... I think it's time for a revisit! Oh, and yes I think it's such a waste to order the same thing, I would forego the dish if the other person wanted the same thing, and I'd order something else!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is so funny about the pizza pair, what a couple of weirdos ;)

    This food looks excellent, and I love porcini risotto!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh I so agree with you, meals are meant to be shared.

    Risotto, what a wonderful combination. Now that banana pizza for dessert, oh yes, i shut my eyes and I can taste it now.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I always prefer to share meals, and find it odd as well when you see people, for example, order 2 pizzas, one each, exactly the same.

    The pumpkin & fetta pizza looks really good!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dessert pizza with bananas and chocolate chips?! I think I am in love!

    ReplyDelete
  9. That's a perceptive comment about the evenly spread pizza toppings. I love the specials board at Twelve, but I often end up being seduced by a gluten free pizza.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I haven't been to this place but the food looks good!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh yum! I would definitely have ordered exactly the same thing as you on this outing! That carb spaghettini looks like my perfect comfort food dish! I'm definitely going to have to try this place!

    ReplyDelete
  12. that banana dessert pizza is making me drool over the keyboard! i'm adding this place to my 'to try' list - the food looks fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  13. yum i love pumpkin on pizzas! and the dessert pizza looks awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hehe I know what you mean about sharing plates and I don't really understand couples that order the same thing or don't share. I always get so excited when I try something good and want everyone to try it lol :P

    ReplyDelete
  15. i've passed this place so many times and have never tried. actually sounds good. thanks for sharing. i should try next time. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hey Kath, never thought porcini and prawns could work together but there you go!

    Hey Joey, I know, King Street has some great eats and then some hidden dodgier ones, hey?

    Hey Lily, we drove by it for years before trying it as well. Something about the warm decor roped us in, I think. And the pizzas really are quite good!

    Hey Betty, they're still very consistent so well worth a trip back =) It seems not everyone prioritises food-sharing and taste-testing like us!

    Hey Conor, it's also funny when people order the exact same steak and there's only the two of them!

    Hey Sara, sharing is caring! And you'll have to fight my husband for that banana pizza =p

    Hey missklicious, share the pumpkin and fetta pizza with me? =D

    Hey Agnes, I feel like I'm the only not in lust with the banana pizza here...hehe!

    Hey Arwen, haha, I have a friend who's intrigued by my analness about the even spread of pizza toppings - you should see me when I make one!

    Hey Ellie, try it next time you're in Newtown and you don't feel like Thai =)

    Hey Forager, crab spaghettini! *swoon* So delicate yet so satisfying.

    Hey Panda, haha, everyone's going gaga for the desssert pizza!

    Hey Suze, I'm not a fan of pumpkin but I really don't mind the sweetness it imparts to pizzas and salads.

    Hey Lorraine, agreed! If I've ordered a real gem then I want everyone at the table to at least have a taste!

    Hey Simon, definitely try it! The prices are rather reasonable too.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for leaving a comment!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails