Overview
Steak connoisseurs, all your Christmases have arrived at once with the launch of Bistecca. The new CBD restaurant's menu is built around a single cut of steak: bistecca alla Fiorentina. Originating in Florence centuries ago, it's widely accepted as one of the finest cuts around.
Designed by architecture firm Tom Mark Henry, the 50-seat basement restaurant has Italian flourishes throughout, with a marbled wine bar and yet-to-open adjoining wine shop. As you might've guessed, Bistecca is the creation of a couple of diehard Italophiles. Co-owners and lifelong friends, James Bradey and Warren Burns, travelled all over Italy in search of the ideal steak and the perfect red wine to match.
Having decided on the bistecca alla Fiorentina, the duo returned home to find a premium local source, eventually landing on Black Angus cattle from NSW's Riverine region. "We tried at least 40 different steaks from different regions and farmers across Australia to settle on the right one," says Burns. "We chose the Riverine to deliver my holy trinity of meat: flavour, texture and supply."
To complement your juicy steak, there's an array of hearty, traditional side dishes, including braised cannellini beans, garlic and rosemary potatoes, and Brussels sprouts with pecorino and sour cream. And vegetarians, though you're probably quaking in your leather-free boots by now, we should let you know there are meat-free ricotta dumplings on the menu, too.
While the food menu has only one thing on its mind, the wine list is quite the opposite with more than 300 drops to choose from. Similarly, the cocktail list is ripe with Italian classics like garibaldis and bellinis, and negronis are poured straight from the tap. And later in the year, you'll be able to head straight through to the connected 'enoteche' to take home your favourite drop of the evening.
Bistecca is now open at 4 Bridge Street, Sydney. Enter via Dalley Street.
Images: Dominic Loneragan