It's mid-week and The Italian Place in Braddon is doing a bustling trade. I'm not surprised I guess, we intended to come yesterday but couldn't get a table. Owner Tony Lo Terzo is flitting between the restaurant and the newly opened deli, called The Italian Place: Providore and Bottega a few doors down.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
I pop in to have a look at the new providore space - and there's a lot on offer. All the traditional Italian staples are there - olive oil, fresh and dried pasta, deli meats and there's also hot food (depending on the time you visit) and produce along with a decent range of wines. It's just like the little corner stores in Italy where you stop to pick up things for dinner on the way home, except in the heart of Braddon, which is rather convenient.
New shop signs showcase both The Italian Place restaurant and providore. Gone is the rather garish old sign with twirling spaghetti pieces, in its place a schmick, white on black sign with accents in the colours of the Italian flag.
There's seating outside and inside, the bar runs almost the length of the restaurant space. Like the food, the decor isn't fancy - nor is it trying to be. Much like restaurants in Italy, it's a simple set up, with red tablecloths brightening the place. Bread baskets sit on tables, welcoming diners and a makeshift terracotta wine rack is stacked between the wall and pillar.
The Italian Place bases their dishes on cucina provera which translates to poor people's food or as the restaurant sees it, "making the most of what is available to you at the time". These are the kind of restaurants where I'm usually inclined to be led by restaurant specials, and the large chalkboard above the kitchen with scrawled on specials make it especially easy here.
The bruschetta with stracciatella ($5 each) is a classic - simple Italian food. It's aromatic from garlic, and the stracciatella adds a lovely creaminess that pairs well with the fresh tomatoes.
Burrata with portobello mushrooms ($20) is a little bit of a surprise as a special on a spring menu; I'd always thought of mushrooms as more autumnal. It's not my favourite burrata pairing ever - the contrast of creamy burrata with the almost meaty large mushrooms, but that may well be personal preference.
Gamberoni gratinati ($20) or king prawns with pangrattato and zucchini salad, is good too. The prawns are large and fresh, butterflied for easy eating. The pangrattato doesn't really add anything, but that's possibly because it wasn't as crunchy as it could be.
I can't remember the last time I ordered a risotto; too many things can go wrong - stodgy rice or wrong consistency to name a few. I have a firm rule to not order risotto unless you trust the restaurant. Our Italian waitress leads me towards taking a gamble here, and the special - crab meat risotto ($30) does not disappoint.
There are generous chunks of crab meat in this one, and the rice is creamy and the ingredients are well-distributed throughout. The crab is very fresh and sings of the sea, and sugar snaps, broad beans and peas add freshness. It all works well together, the rice bringing together all the flavours.
Homemade casarecce ($30) with pork neck and fennel ragout is rich from tomato, homestyle and rustic. It's important to be upfront here, this is not refined, polished Italian - but it's not trying to be either. This restaurant is a favourite with its customers for its laid-back feel and effortless charm. If I was being picky, I'd say that both the pasta and rice are a little over the traditional al dente, but the flavours are good, so all is forgiven.
Zucca e cioccolato ($15) is a brilliant dessert - a highlight of the food tonight. It's always a welcome surprise when dessert isn't just an afterthought, and this one is brilliant. Three plump butternut pumpkin doughnuts are served on a bed of dark chocolate mousse. The doughnuts themselves are warm and fluffy, and I love the earthiness that the pumpkin brings. They're finished with tiny strands of chilli and a pumpkin seed and oat granola for crunch. It's rich, comforting and the kick of chili add a welcome lingering warmth.
Service is friendly and our Italian waitress' effortless charm and is a highlight of the night. The wine list is geared towards the motherland, understandably so at a place like this, though there's a separate section for Australian wines. The Zabu Il Passo Nerello Mascalese ($16) is full of red fruit with a punch of minerality from the Sicilian soil.
The Italian Place offers something that not many restaurants can here in Canberra - the ability to be transported to a different country - something innately more valuable during times of COVID. The food is rustic and homely, perhaps a little on the expensive side, but here it's about the friendly faces and the feeling of having wandered into a little enoteca in Italy.
The Italian Place
Address: 38 Mort St, Braddon
Phone: 61798812
Hours: Open seven days, lunch from noon-2.30pm; dinner from 6-9pm
Chef: Jayson Walters
Owner: Tony Lo Terzo
Vegetarian: A couple of dishes
Noise: No problem
