Cheap eats: Nano, on Ebenezer place, is simple, fresh and buzzing
NANO, down trendy Ebenezer place, has simple food that’s good, fresh and won’t cost the earth, writes Tory Shepherd.
FOCACCIA? Tick. Sun-dried tomato? Not quite. Nano is partly stuck in the ’90s – but the best bits of that decade, including the prices.
It’s an anachronism on trendy Ebenezer Place, where carefully coiffured hipsters abound amid boutiques and Belgian beers.
Here there’s no “feed me” option, or offal experiments. It’s a simple Italian bistro that was once a simple hole-in-the-wall on Hutt St.
You walk in, check out what’s on the blackboard, order, and grab a number.
No table service here, but the friendly counter staff are swift and smiley. (And despite no table service, they happily bring over another wine when asked).
There’s a condiment caddy, always a plus, with good fresh chilli chopped into oil, Tabasco sauce, and more.
On a busy day this place hums. It’s big, bright and bustling.
Regulars stream through for coffees or breakfast, ducking out again or pulling up a stool and grabbing a paper.
There’s plenty of outdoor seating, full of sun and people-watching opportunities. Ebenezer has a relaxed vibe but plenty of people nosing through from nearby Rundle St.
Nano serve the generous breakfasts seven days a week with everything you’d expect – and then there’s the incarozza ($13.20). It’s a pancetta, egg and fried bread concoction that sounds both delicious and dangerous. Perfect for a hangover or a cheeky brunch.
A gleaming cabinet shows off salads and desserts and sandwiches, for a snack or meal in a nanosecond.
Breakfast goes pretty much all day, then lunch options kick in from 11, with the Nano stix a perfect crossover from breakfast to lunch. They’re essentially delicious toasties with focaccia bread. A prosciutto and provolone stix (stick?) is crisp and salty, the prosciutto sliced thinly and obviously of good quality, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect in a toastie.
A casual blackboard propped outside gives the daily specials. Today there’s a chicken cotoletta and an orecchiette with asparagus, spinach, peas, chilli and anchovy. I go for the rigatoni galina –the blackboard intriguingly runs all the ingredients together. Chicken mushroom bacon cream stock sauce cheese.
I’m prepared for a dish that will send me into a cholesterol-soaked slumber for the afternoon, but there’s a light touch on the cream. The chicken is pleasingly tender, the pasta al dente. It’s comfort food done well.
It’s $14.50, which makes it one of the more expensive options, but probably the cheapest pasta in the East End.
Cheaper still are bruschettas ($8.60), focaccias ($9.30), and pizza for a tiny $6.30.
There’s a range of drinks – Campari included – and a small range of wine, which comes (once again) cheap. My pinot grigio is $6.90 a glass, and it’s a generous pour.
Web reviews of Nano consistently call it a “hidden gem” and sing the praises of its coffees and freshly squeezed orange juice.
Nano is old school without being retro; you’ll get fresh basil on fresh tomatoes here, not sun-dried tomatoes with dried oregano. There’s an obvious pride in the ingredients with a distinct lack of pretentiousness. It’s honest, easy, fast and prices are stuck in the past.
Where: 23 Ebenezer Place, city
Food: Italian
Owners: The Capoccias
CHEFS: Stefan Capoccia and Lynton Werner
Price: Everything
under $20
Drinks: Australian, Italian
O pen: 7am-4pm weekdays (kitchen closes at 3pm), Sat 8am-3.30pm, Sun 9am-3.30pm.
Atmosphere: Bustling
Crowd: Workers
Try: The Nano stix
Tip: Nab a table in the sun