Bottega Coco

Overview

The bustling harbourside suburb of Barangaroo has welcomed a newcomer. Bottega Coco is an Italian eatery with an Aussie twist and helmed by executive chef Pier Davide Maiuri. The bright space enjoys views of the main street and the harbour beyond.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, patrons can start their day on a good note with breakfast bruschetta or Italian pan-baked eggs. Meanwhile, the lunch menu is a snapshot of the dinner menu, which includes classic Italian fare alongside signature dishes.

Start your meal with the house-made fig and ricotta focaccia, drizzled with aged balsamic reduction with prosciutto crudo or opt for a warming bowl of zuppa di patate e porri (leek and potato soup, with crispy croutons, fresh sage and roasted king oyster mushrooms). Antipasti is just as tantalising with polpo e patate (grilled octopus with potato salad and toasted almond pesto) and eggplant Siciliana (roasted eggplant served with lashings of ricotta salata cheese, tomato and genevose pesto).

The pasta dishes include a cheesy tortellini stuffed burrata and buffalo mozzarella, served with vegetable consommé, and the seasonal mixed seafood linguine among others. The stunning secondi dishes conclude the main offerings – unless, of course, you're hungry for pizza. The large pizza oven sits behind the main bar and the team slings classic pizza toppings on their own signature pizza dough (gluten-free available). Also on offer is a pizza of the month or you can opt for something a little different. Mortadella pizza topped with house-made pistachio cream, buffalo stracciatella and fresh pistachios is a great place to start.

Waste not want not in this Italian establishment. And that includes reupholstering the kit out of the former occupants of 300 Barangaroo, Bel & Brio. More than 80% of the previous tenant's furniture has been repurposed – but the wooden bar remains. As well, the patisserie has been extended to now house an abundance of colourful pastries crafted by house pastry chef, Vincent Gadan. Finish off your meal with one of his creations, like the tiramisu with its crisp light chocolate shell and salted gold flakes or Coco's 'L'Opera House', a unique dessert shaped (you guessed it) like the Sydney Opera House. Or keep it simple with a pistachio biscotti and some limoncello.

Pair your Italian fare with an Italian vino. But if you are a sucker for something Aussie, they have some of the best expressions of local wine including skin-contact whites from Cullen Wines, the carbon-negative winery in WA, and pinot noir from Tassie's Nocton.