Overview
On the morning of the launch of Vivid 2018, Fratelli Fresh is opening an emporium at Darling Harbour. The epic space will offer, well, everything — from Mecca coffee and Sonoma baked treats, to Neapolitan pizza and tiramasu, to masterclasses and $5 happy hour negronis. If you've time to hang around, claim a table in the waterfront beer garden that's dotted with citrus and olive trees. If not, grab some pasta and run.
There'll be room for more than 550 diners and drinkers in the light-filled 1100-square-metre venue, which you'll find opposite the Chinese Gardens. It's split into a bunch of spaces, each of which is dedicated to various dining styles, cooking stations and bars. There's also an adult-friendly games corner, where you can play ping pong, jenga, shuffleboard and foosball. As usual, Fratelli's classic red and white Italian aesthetics apply.
The menu features both Aussie producers, including Vannella Cheese and Salumi Australia, and world-famous Italian brands, like Baci chocolate and Campari. Feast your way through pizzas, pastas, salads and rotisserie meats before hitting the dessert bar, loaded with tiramisu, tortas, panna cotta, biscotti, sfogliatella (a filled pastry from Campania), hand-made truffles, chocolate bars, cannoli and gelato. On Tuesdays, it's time for all-you-can-eat pizza and, on Thursdays, for $20 endless antipasti boards.
In the on-site vinoteca you can explore more than 80 Australian and Italian drops. Otherwise, choose from the by-the-glass wine list or from a bunch of Goose Island (US) craft beers. There's also an entire bar devoted to Campari, which will offer a whopping seven spritzes and six negronis on-tap.
To celebrate the opening, Fratelli is giving away KeepCups to the first 2500 coffee customers, which will then get you $1 coffees for the following 30 days and $2.50 coffees thereafter. Useful if you work in the area. Moreover, anyone buying brekkie during the first 30 days will also score one-buck coffee (the blend used is roasted specifically for Fratelli by Mecca).
The emporium opens tomorrow morning with a bunch of launch weekend happenings, including live music and free tastings by Mecca, Sonoma, Vannella Cheese, Ross Hill Wines, Campari and Goose Island. After that, keep an eye on the calendar for masterclasses, workshops and gastronomic adventures.
This new opening is Sydney's eighth Fratelli Fresh, and follows Rockpool Dining Group's announcement that it will open a new outpost at Manly Wharf in August this year. The group has certainly made good on its promise of rapid expansion.
Fratelli Fresh will open at 7am on Friday, May 25 at 2/14 Darling Drive, Darling Harbour. It will be open from 7am till midnight, seven days a week. For more info, visit the website.