465 Bronte Rd.
Bronte, Sydney
Bronte Cucina has a lovely relaxed chic feel to it. It has an elegance inside yet its al fresco frontage and casual toning down creates an atmosphere that fits so well with its beachside surroundings. You can sit here and look out at the pine trees in the park across the road or onto nearby Bronte beach. We were there at sunset and it was extremely relaxing and pretty. Chef Alessandro Cola, formerly of Pendolino and Cipri, has created a varied and exciting menu that should appeal to all tastes and the front of house is very ably lead by manager Nick Birtles. Bronte Cucina sits right next door to its well known sister restaurant Swell, with both being owned by locals Sandy and Robert Bruns.
We started with the pan fried cuttlefish strips on pea puree, tomato and squid ink crumb.What an amazingly delicate yet flavoursome dish that had a sea of vibrant colours creating a wow factor as soon as it arrived. Presentation is clearly a strong driver at Bronte Cucina but well supported by textures, flavours and aroma.
The cuttlefish strips were so tender, the tomato and squid ink crumb combined perfectly without overpowering and the pea puree added a lovely texture to the whole dish.
We would highly recommend this as a starter as it gently caresses your tastebuds.
Fortunately the tastes had the same great impact! The kingfish itself was extremely delicate and well prepared. I was initially concerned about olive tapenade being served with this dish but it was in such small amounts that it didn't overpower the other flavours.
We also both loved the slivers of pickled Spanish onion and the orange segments provided a nice gentle citric lift to the dish.
The thyme pappardelle with duck ragout and porcini mushrooms was possibly the highlight of the evening for both of us.This was an amazing dish!
The light pappardelle was draped in an amazing blend of duck ragout and porcini mushrooms with the richness of the duck balancing perfectly with the mushrooms. The sauce combined but didn't drown - tying everything together so well.
The dish was beautifully garnished with crisp thyme leaves that added crunch and further flavour to this wonderful culinary delight.
The swordfish alla Catalana with grilled eggplant was also very well prepared.The generous piece of swordfish was cooked perfectly and arrived nestled on a nicely cooked slice of eggplant with a field of different tomatoes, fresh basil and capers rounding out the lightly dressed dish.
We love tomato and basil with just about anything and this went beautifully with the delicious swordfish fillet.
The freshness of everything was again noticeable as were the colours.
We couldn't finish our wonderful meal without a dessert so we shared a serving of chocolate flan with coffee gelato and blueberry garnish. The rich thick chocolate went so well with the light gelato - a great combination yet again.Bronte Cucina is not a big place, but it's already popular, and for good reasons. You get high quality food prepared beautifully with a pleasantly relaxed chic ambience and great service. It ticks all the boxes and doesn't kill your wallet either. It's only been open a few months too so get in quickly before everyone else does!
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Bronte Cucina. Many thanks also to Patrick for the excellent service on the night.
