New Sydney restaurant Palle rolls into town

Sydney, there's a 100 per cent chance of meatballs headed your way...

Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food, and a new Sydney restaurant is promising to serve them up with a distinctly Italian twist plus a side of fun.

Palle, which is Italian for balls, has opened in the historic Tramsheds precinct in Forest Lodge. It’s the brainchild of owner-chef Eugenio Maiale who also heads up Italian favourites
A Tavola and Flour Eggs Water.

Image credit Palle

While the meatball trend has been around for a while, Eugenio felt the time was right to make them the star of the show. Inspired by his own Abruzzese heritage, a region in southern Italy, and a traditional family recipe, Palle is promising a menu focused on the little balls of joy that have a habit of drawing people together.

“Mum’s recipe was basic, but it was full of sustenance and love. It took a pandemic to make me wonder why the meatball has taken a backseat in the dining scene. Palle is all about bringing back comfort, nostalgia, and love, in a fun and playful way,” he said.

To that end, Palle features brightly-coloured seating and terrazzo tabletops. It’s the kind of place Eugenio hopes people feel comfortable just dropping in for a spritz, Italian beer, or to sample his nonna-approved balls.

The menu is short, but there are seven types of balls to choose from, so something for everyone. Go with the Classic meatballs in “mama’s tomato sugo” or in brodo (clear Italian broth). If you’re after something less traditional try the Chicken parmy or Lamb tzatziki balls. If meat isn’t your thing, there are Cheese tomato or Mushroom rice balls with almond skordalia. Balls come in either a set of two, or in a bucket of 12, and you can get them atop a bowl of housemade spaghetti or packed into a meatball sub.

Dessert keeps the ball theme strong with bombolini, Italian doughnuts, featuring fillings such as Nutella and dulce de leche, and there’s a Palle sundae, with, you guessed it, round balls of vanilla bean ice cream, peanuts, oreos, Callebaut milk chocolate bits and caramel sauce.

The whole set-up is designed to bring fun, comfort, nostalgia and, alright we’ll say it, serious balls to Sydney dining.