The first look at Bastardo Trattoria in Sydney’s CBD,with artwork by artist Mikey Freedom.SuppliedCo-founder Ben Milgate tells Good Food the amped-up menu features grilled scotch fillet with bagna cauda and fries (“like an Italian steak frites”) and rigatoni calabrese with spicy pork mince and ’njuda (“we ran it as a special in Surry Hills,but here it’s finally made the cut”).
There are also Bastardo classics from head chef Rudy Ones (Continental Deli),such as mafalda pasta with blue swimmer crab,roma tomato and chilli oil ($40). And the aperitivo hour is set to draw in the corporate crowd with a snack menu of pizze fritte,cured meats and burrata to accompany after-work drinks.
Bastardo’s owner,the Porteno Group,opened Continental Deli in the site in 2018,but it didn’t quite capture the zeitgeist of theNewtown original.
Spaghetti with ’nduja,clams and white wine from Bastardo in Surry Hills will be available in the CBD.Edwina PicklesMeanwhile,back in Newtown,Porteno Group’s expansions are set to continue,according to co-founder Elvis Abrahanowicz.
“We’ve been working on something for a while in that little precinct around Continental Deli,” he says.
“There’s four little shops in a row … and we’re planning to open three separate restaurants there by the end of the year.”
The plans are awaiting council approval. More information is expected in the following months.
Trattoria Bastardo’s green colour scheme gives old-school Italian vibes.SuppliedThe opening of Trattoria Bastardo underscores a key Sydney restaurant trend:replicating existing brands,particularly Italian.
“If you are recreating something,you’re not spending time researching glassware,cutlery and service style,” says Icebergs co-owner Maurice Terzini. “The simplicity of Italian food makes it easier to move than,say,Asian.”
Other expanding Italian brands includeTotti’s,whichrecently opened in Lorne,Victoria,after spreading from Bondi to Rozelle and even the new Allianz Stadium,Fabbrica,which has just opened a pop-up in Balmain,andItalian Street Kitchen,which opens next month in Parramatta,its eighth location.
The secret when multiplying a quality brand is considered growth,says Terzini. Get it right and you’re satisfying a new market,but misfire and risk alienating Australian diners,who are suspicious of businesses with the sniff of chain restaurant about them.
The veteran restaurateur has witnessed the challenge firsthand with hisCicciaBella brand. Terzini sold the original in Bondi andrecently closed the Parramatta branch. “Maybe I should’ve replicated it (more closely),” he says.
Trattoria Bastardo is open forlunch and dinner Mon-Fri.
167 Phillip Street,02 99227347,porteno.com.au/bastardo-cbd