Overview
Seven months after launching its first-ever food truck in Brisbane, one of Sydney's favourite Italian eateries has made its bricks-and-mortar debut in the Queensland capital. Now trading on Skyring Terrace, the long-awaited Gasworks Newstead restaurant joins five across NSW and one on the Gold Coast. And its Brissie arrival comes with gelato cocktails.
Order a bellini, Espresso Freddo or Kaffirinha at SMC's new digs, and you'll find peach sorbet, Baileys gelato and kaffir lime sorbet among the ingredients, as supplied by La Macelleria in Teneriffe. Of course, they're just the frosty, boozy treats that accompany the store's extensive array of hearty Italian eats, which spans everything from antipasto to pasta to pizza.
Overseen by executive chef Andrea Riva (ex-Osteria Riva, Sydney), menu highlights include croissants with prosciutto and mozzarella for breakfast and brunch, roast beef paninis for lunch, and spaghetti with clams and mullet roe for dinner. Elsewhere, the venue's pizza bar boasts eight tomato- and six white-based varieties, plus two calzones. For dessert, Nutella pizza with ricotta, fresh strawberries and vanilla gelato sits alongside apple cake, affogato and panna cotta.
Across December and January, the 134-seat venue will also add a pop-up gelato cart to its outdoor space, while the indoor fitout will do its best to trick patrons into thinking they're thousands of miles away. Featuring high ceilings, natural light, bespoke floral and greenery-filled artwork — and a palette of white, light grey and blue — the design takes inspiration from the Italian Riviera beach town of Alassio in Liguria. That's where SMC co-founders Stefano de Blasi and Edoardo Perlo grew up — and if they can bring the tastes of their childhood to Australia, they can bring the atmosphere as well.
Salt Meats Cheese Gasworks is now open at 3B/63 Skyring Terrace, Newstead. For more info, visit saltmeatscheese.com.au.