Brisbane culinary icon opens new sister restaurant

The service is authentically warm and charming at La Dolce Vita’s new sibling restaurant – thanks to a manager who oozes Italian charisma – but is an almost 40 minute wait between entree and main, too long?

WHEN IS service slow and when is it simply the Italian way?

This is what I asked myself during dinner at Brisbane’s recently opened Cucina by La Dolce Vita.

After 30 years as an icon of the city, Milton’s beloved La Dolce Vita has spread its wings from under the symbolic Eiffel Tower on Park Rd, opening a smaller sister venue in The Emporium complex in Fortitude Valley.

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In comparison to the ornate ceilings, detailed timber work, statues and, of course, the Paris-inspired structure built for World Expo 88 across town, Cucina is positively stark.

The covered front dining space at Cucina by La Dolce Vita in Fortitude Valley. Picture: Mark Cranitch

There’s simply concrete floors, wooden tables, and a heavily padded banquette, though the classic European-style rattan chairs have made the trip into the Valley to keep the look on brand. While the space may be less embellished and roughly a third of the size of its sibling, Cucina still trots out the same popular menu – a generous a la carte offering beginning with antipasti such as olives and bruschetta, into primi like penne amatriciana or primavera, followed by secondi including osso buco and steak. There’s also their popular pizzas. But unlike at Milton where they come hot out of a wood-fired oven, the Valley eatery uses electricity – quite possibly due to the restricted space. However, before traditionalists screw their noses up at the heat source, know that the parma incarnation ($25, pictured) is a raging success. The base is bubbly, crisp and thin, spread with a bright and vibrant sugo and circles of fior di latte that melt into the well-made dough. It’s then liberally strewn with supple slices of prosciutto, rocket and shavings of grana padano, eliciting rave reviews from my dinner guests.

The parma pizza at Cucina by La Dolce Vita. Picture: Mark Cranitch

Less exciting but still solid is the chargrilled octopus ($24), the coral-hued tentacle sliced into bites to sit atop dollops of silky mashed potato, nuzzled by roasted and halved cherry tomatoes.

Scaloppine al marsala ($36) takes a slightly different approach to the classic dish, with the traditional thinly sliced veal replaced by three thick medallions, perfectly cooked to medium-rare gleaning underneath a wash of the salty-sweet fortified wine sauce.

Meanwhile, the fettuccine con gamberi ($27) perhaps personifies the entire restaurant – the tangle of al dente pasta and plump prawns arriving on a contemporary stoneware plate but with a flourish of 1980s chopped herbs on top.

This is a restaurant that is trying to move with the times, but isn’t ready to say goodbye to the past. The dolci menu offers another flashback, crepe suzette, and for lovers of the classic French dessert, the wafer thin pancakes flambéed in orange liqueur topped with fresh berries are top-notch.

Octopus with smoked potato puree and cherry tomatoes. Picture: Mark Cranitch

A heavily Italian-leaning wine list is well-matched to the fare, while Italian brews dot the beer list.

The aforementioned service is authentically warm and charming thanks to a manager who oozes Italian charisma, but meals come out of the kitchen a little slower than desired, with an almost 40 minute wait between entree and main.

With The Emporium having seen more than its fair share of tenants over the years, let’s hope Cucina by La Dolce Vita can bring some of its sibling’s longevity into the site.