Simon Food Favourites: Bronte Cucina: Modern Italian, Bronte (13 Apr 2013)

463-467 Bronte Road, Bronte NSW 2024

http://www.brontecucina.com

A cut above the rest

“A rising star born in Ravenna, Italy, Alessandro arrived in Sydney 3 years ago and worked as head pastry chef in hatted restaurant in Pendolino and then as head chef of equally renowned restaurant Cipri. Alessandro has brought his whole talented team to Bronte Cucina, including a pasta chef, pastry chef and front of house manager. ”

Thanks to Alex Taylor from Maria Farmer PR for first approaching me to visit Bronte Cucina and then Sandy Bruns from Swell Restaurant for following up on my guest visit. Overall the quality and presentation of the dishes is very good and definitely a step up from the neighbouring cafes of burgers and sandwiches. So much so that this restaurant can seem a bit out of place for a casual lunch time bite near the family friendly beach unless you're a little more dressed up. Even though the food was very good and hard to fault there are a few small details I thought could be improved from a customer experience point of view. The colourful mural on the wall might have suited its former life as a more casual cafe but now seems out of place with the nice table setting and classy wallpaper on the opposite wall. The toilet shared with the cafe next door could do with a makeover. Possibly OK for a casual cafe but doesn't really suit the nicer setting of the restaurant and cheapens the experience. The fan sitting on top of the bar counter isn't a good look, especially when the dishes are so nicely presented with quality ingredients.

Now back to the drinks and food. The Strawberry & Lychee Caipiroska ($16) was very good with lots of refreshing flavours. The Cool as a Cucumber ($19) on the other hand with Hendrick's gin, tonic, cucumber, coriander and lemon was nice but pretty much tasted like a gin and tonic and could have benefitted from being served in a nicer cocktail glass to make it look at least a bit more special for the premium price. Marinated olives with fresh chilli and fennel ($6) and Porcini mushroom brushetta with truffled pecornio ($8, 2 pieces) were lovely starters and the nicely presented Oyster with mojito granita and salmon caviar ($3.50 each) were shucked to order although the granita melts fast and waters down the salty fresh brine so don't delay in eating. Quite reasonably priced considering the toppings included.

Panfried cuttlefish strips on pea puree, tomato and squid ink crumb ($20) looked great and had a nice combination of flavours and textures. Vitello Tonnato ($18) was nicely presentation and I liked the tender veal with the pop of salty capers. Thyme pappardelle with duck ragout and porcini mushrooms ($17) had good flavour and tender meat in a rich tasting sauce. Spaghetti marinara with mussels, prawns and fish ($18) becomes a favourite with lots of seafood and a decent sized entree. As hoped the home made pasta is good. For the dessert the Raspberry millefoglie with yoghurt mousse, berry compote and raspberry sorbet ($15) had nice fresh flavours with excellent pastry crisp and quality fresh raspberries making it a winner. I also really enjoyed the Sesame seed canolo with nougat semifredo, coffee anglaise & chocolate praline ($15) plated with the Chocolate tart with coffee gelato & vanilla anglaise ($15). Head Chef Alessandro Cola has certainly brought a high standard of dining and dish presentation to the shores of Bronte and I'm keen to return to try other dishes from the tempting menu.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Interesting menu, Nice dish presentation, Reasonably priced for the quality and standard of cooking, Close to the beach

CONS: Decor seems to have two personalities, Toilet presentation needs a makeover, Street parking nearby can be a nightmare to find and is metered

MUST TRY: Strawberry & Lychee Caipiroska, Spaghetti marinara, Raspberry millefoglie

VERDICT: Good quality dishes at reasonable prices that are nicely presented. The restaurant seems a bit out of place amongst the more casual cafes open during lunch so I'm thinking it would make for a more attractive destination for dinner.

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Strawberry & Lychee Caipiroska ($16) SIMON FAVOURITE :-) — good refreshing flavour; Cool as a Cucumber: Hendrick's gin, tonic, cucumber, coriander and lemon ($19) — nice but can't really taste the coriander and seems expensive for essentially a gin & tonic

Marinated olives with fresh chilli and fennel ($6) — very nice flavours

Porcini mushroom brushetta with truffled pecornio ($8, 2 pieces) — good flavour combination

Oyster with mojito granita and salmon caviar ($3.50 each) — shucked to order although granita melts fast and waters down the salty fresh brine so eat quickly

WORTH TRYING :-)

Panfried cuttlefish strips on pea puree, tomato and squid ink crumb ($20) — nice combination of flavours and textures

WORTH TRYING :-)

Vitello Tonnato: salad of thinly sliced veal topped with tuna salsa and capers ($18) — nice presentation, nice hit of capers, tender veal

Thyme pappardelle with duck ragout and porcini mushrooms ($17) — tender meat, good depth of flavour in the sauce
WORTH TRYING :-)

Spaghetti marinara with mussels, prawns and fish ($18 entree) — good flavour, lots of seafood, decent entree size, nice homemade pasta
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Good home made pasta

Decent sized prawns

Herb and mesclun salad with organge segments and white balsamic dressing ($8) — fresh and simple, had a nice refreshing hit of mint

Raspberry millefoglie with yoghurt mousse, berry compote and raspberry sorbet ($15) — nice fresh flavours, excellent pastry crisp, quality fresh raspberries
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Sesame seed canolo with nougat semifredo, coffee anglaise & chocolate praline ($15), Chocolate tart with coffee gelato & vanilla anglaise ($15) — very good flavour and technique

Cappuccino and mocho — both good

Coriole Fiano, McLaren Vale SA 2012 ($11 glass) — nice and enjoyable with entrees

2010 Dolcetto D'Alba Prunotto Italy ($12 glass) — good

A bit more attention to decor required in cleaning this glass

Head Chef Alessandro Cola

Wine menu specials

Lunch menu

Dinner menu — was available to choose from for lunch

Cheese and dessert menu

Cocktail and beer menu

Wine menu

Painted mural on the wall doesn't really match the rest of the restaurant decor and seating

Fan sitting on the counter doesn't look good and not in keeping with the rest of the restaurant style

Toilet could do with a bit of a makeover to make it more reflective of the nicer restaurant dining experience. Old fan in the way.

I couldn't get rid of this fly and his friends. One of the disadvantages of sitting near the front on a nice sunny day you might have to share the experience with flies that get attracted to your yummy food.