Overview
Cooking and entertaining at home has hit peak popularity during the pandemic, and many Sydney venues have been forced to adapt. But the clever folks behind CBD pasta bar Ragazzi — namely Matthew Swieboda, Nathanial Hatwell (Love, Tilly Devine, Dear Sainte Éloise) and Scott McComas-Williams — are taking this shift in stride.
Following the success of Ragazzi's lockdown pasta kits, the team has decided to launch Fabbrica Pasta Shop in the CBD this September. The retail space will sell fresh pasta by the gram, sauces and related smallgoods to help Sydneysiders create the perfect Italian feast at home.
Through a big glass window, you'll be able to watch the staff making pasta of all shapes and sizes, including rigatoni, egg farfalle, semolina pici (thick hand-rolled spaghetti) and gluten-free varieties. Add on a sauce or two and you'll be able to whip up Ragazzi fan-favourites at home — such as spaghetti cacio e pepe and duck ragu over rye casarecce (short twisted pasta) — along with your own creations.
Other Italian items will also be for sale, including a range imported cheeses, house-cured meats, sausages, olive oil and flours. Plus tinned tomatoes, Cantabrian anchovies and fresh produce like biodynamic eggs and organic garlic. Alongside the pasta, breads will be made in-house too and paired with compound butter. And, to complete your meal at home, bottles of minimal-intervention Italian drops will be on offer, too.
Nikki To
There will also be a dine-in aspect to the space, with four outdoor high tables designed for snacking while you wait for your takeaway order. For this purpose, there will be a daily sandwich and baked pasta option, plus coffees and natural wines by the glass.
The space will also act as a prep kitchen for Ragazzi and host regular pasta making, wine tasting and baking classes. You'll also start seeing Fabbrica products in other delis, butchers, grocers and markets around Australia, with Cameron Birt (Fino Foods) running the wholesale arm of the business. And the entire venue will be available for private bookings if you really want to treat your nearest and dearest.
Designer Sarah Watt, who also designed Ragazzi, will be responsible for the fit-out — expect stainless steel finishes and a clean, brutalist space to unfold over the next month.
Fabbrica Pasta Shop will open in late September at 161 King Street, Sydney. Keep an eye on this space for updates.
Images: Nikki To