The Belluci’s family of restaurants – in Manuka, Woden and Dickson – have been popular elements of the Canberra dining scene for many years.
Belluci’s has reinvented its ‘flagship’ restaurant in Manuka, with a revitalised menu that changes the tone of the Canberra stalwart, just as the high and ornate ceilings, drop lamps and sleek black and chrome finishes are a stark contrast to its previous look and feel.
Above all, the new interior is aesthetically impressive and comfortable for the diner. There is more room near the entry and an expanded bar area, and many of the tables join to comfortable couch-like benches. The dim but sufficient lighting makes for an intimate table setting. You have to admire owners who are willing to close such a popular restaurant for a total of four months and 11 days to completely gut the restaurant’s interior and recreate it.
People watching through the expansive glass windows (and being seen dining in there) is an important part of the experience. Belluci’s has always been a place to see and be seen in Canberra, and tonight is no exception.
On a rainy Monday night, my dining partner and I enter a bustling restaurant where we are promptly greeted by friendly staff and seated in a corner. For a Monday night, the crowd is impressive. In a town where so much can be closed early in the week, Belluci’s illustrates that extensive opening hours in Canberra are not without their place and is in fact, smart practice.
We start our night with a glass of crisp prosecco served in chilled glasses. The wine list at Belluci’s has been transformed to incorporate traditional European styles, as well as Australian takes on European methods. The prosecco is a perfect palate cleanser to start our experience. Our menu and matched wine is chosen by our helpful waiter. Each dish was matched superbly with elements of the new list, from rare Alsace pinot blanc to hearty, European inspired but Australian produced, cabernet sauvignon.
We begin with the line-caught octopus pickled with white balsamic and lemon zest ($16). The herb marinade is underwritten by the strong lemon zest and sweet white balsamic, to make it a fresh and flavoursome starter. One of the defining features of Belluci’s new menu is the emphasis on small and interesting things to share: a wide range of antipasti and starters that diversify it from a traditional dinner venue. It also reflects elements of the Italian ‘aperitivo’ tradition – an early evening drink accompanied by food, perhaps an idea that could be further developed as the reinvention progresses, especially with the new outdoor seating for warm summer nights.
Our next item from the ‘antipasti’ part of the menu is the crisp zucchini flowers filled with basket ricotta and gorgonzola dolce ($16) which reflects the seasonality of the new menu. The current menu is spring/summer slanted, with a range of blackboard specials as supplement. Many Italian restaurants do the zucchini flowers at this time of year, stuffed with a soft cheese. I can honestly say that these are the best battered zucchini flowers I have had, both locally and internationally. The flowers are ever so lightly battered using a Japanese-tempura technique, giving the dish a fusion element that only enhances the traditional practice. They are coated and cooked precisely to a light golden crisp. The mix of the basket ricotta and sweeter gorgonzola inside is a perfect combination of flavours and are accompanied by a sweet tomato and capsicum relish which round off every mouthful.
The crisp pork belly with vincotto reduction ($16) represents a clever way to incorporate a current restaurant trend and favourite with a vincotto reduction of strong Italian balsamic vinegar.
We then move to the ‘primi’ (starters). Our first dish is the Gamberi – pan-tossed tiger prawns with confit garlic, sherry vinegar, cherry tomatoes and crostini ($23). The sweetness of the cherry tomato sauce combined with the sherry vinegar was absorbed indulgently by the crisp crostini.
Our next primo was pasta – traditionally a starter in an Italian meal. We were treated to a unique blackboard special – snowy mountain smoked trout and eschalot ravioli with caramelised leeks, cherry tomatoes and capers ($28). The smoked trout made for a flavoursome and unique filling to the soft pasta ravioli, but was also a bit fiddly with a few small fish bones in each one. This was but a small distraction from each divine mouthful, infused with sweet caramelised leek and the saltiness of the capers.
For mains, we selected the spalla di agnello – slow cooked farm lamb shoulder with dates, caramelised pumpkin and rosemary $33. The lamb shoulder was extremely tender and the sweetness of the dates and caramelised pumpkin made for a well rounded dish. This dish in particular demonstrated truly exceptional cooking technique and vision.
Our main dish was accompanied by an Insalata Caprese- vine-ripened tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil salad with yoghurt and olive oil ($12). The Caprese – named after its origin on the island of Capri – is a traditional salad based on its simplicity. Buffalo mozzarella, tomato, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. I must admit I was initially shocked someone would dare to add yoghurt to this salad which when done right, is already perfection. The yoghurt however, proved a successful gamble, and ever so subtly fused with the olive oil for a creamier mouthful.
The tiramisu ($14) for dessert was tantalising at first sight, oozing delicious mascarpone. The savoiardi biscuits used to form the layers weren’t overly soaked in coffee and so retained their bite, giving depth to a classic.
Like a vintage Italian pop star, Belluci’s has achieved its reinvention seamlessly. The menu is almost entirely different (note to old fans – the Belluci’s special pizza and favourite pasta dishes are still available) yet the feel is of the same comfort and quality that had endeared Canberra diners for more than 20 years. The range of menu items; antipasti, primi, secondi, pasta and pizza means that the menu is intricate in its range of traditional Italian fare, also catering well to those with dietary requirements. Do try something from every element of the menu; it’s truly a journey in Italian cooking.
With seemingly hordes of new Italian eateries in Canberra, Locanda Italian Steakhouse at Rydges Lakeside, Dieci e Mezzo in the City, the forthcoming ‘Bicicletta’ in New Acton of the famed ‘Pizza e Birra’ phenomenon in Sydney, and the widely acclaimed Italian and Sons in Braddon just to mention a few – it was the right time for Belluci’s to reinvent itself. As a Canberra favourite, I have no doubt it will maintain its popularity in an ever-evolving and dynamic local Italian dining scene.
