Gemelli restaurant promises no frills Italian in up-market James St

Moving into one of the city’s most elite dining precincts, this new eatery and bar wants to offer real Italian fare - not the frilly Australian versions.

A NEW style of pizza like Brisbane has never seen before and “no bullsh*t Italian” – that’s the promise of twin brothers James and Alec Carney when they open their sleek new restaurant in one of the city’s most up-market dining precincts.

The siblings will launch Gemelli along James St in Fortitude Valley this September, taking the space of defunct Italian eatery Bucci and the neighbouring former Lululemon tenancy. This will be the fourth restaurant for the pair, who own Gemelli in Broadbeach, Gemellini in Nobby Beach and Roy’s by Gemelli in Sorrento, all on the Gold Coast.

“We always liked the vibe on James St – we feel at home there and we feel like it suits our vibe,” said James, who revealed it had been a seven-year dream to open in Brisbane.

“We feel like there’s a gap in the market in regards to no bullsh*t Italian that you get in Italy without the frills, which is kind of what we offer.”

Brothers James and Alec Carney at their new restaurant Gemelli and wine bar Bar Tano in James St, Fortitude Valley. Picture: Nigel Hallett

The duo have completely gutted the two spaces and will dedicate the Lululemon site to Gemelli, while the Bucci space will become the glamorous Bar Tano.

Brisbane architects Hogg & Lamb have done the design, with Gemelli an elegant and elevated version of the Broadbeach namesake, split over three levels with its own bar, dedicated gelato station, a 5m salumi cabinet filled with cured meats and cheeses, which looks through into the semi-open kitchen, and an incredible $60,000 wine fridge filled predominantly Italian and Australian drops, including plenty of exclusive bottles. While at Bar Tano, a U-shaped bar will anchor the room, topped with green marble, which will also be used along the entrance, with the focal point an impressive DJ booth, situated between two cocktail stations, pumping beats to create a fun, social atmosphere.

The brothers also plan to introduce proper Italian aperitivo to Brisbane through Bar Tano.

“We don’t want it to be portrayed to people as a happy hour, we want it to be like this new culture that people come after work and it’s like this meeting place and the vibe’s cool,” James said, with the idea it will run from 4pm-6pm Wednesday to Sunday.

And while drinks will be full price during aperitivo hour (apart from perhaps an Aperol spritz special here and there), there will be the traditional complimentary bar snacks available to guests, ranging from salami and olives to focaccia and small plates.

“We want to keep it real aperitivo, where you buy drinks and the food is on the house,” James said.

Meanwhile, the restaurant will be a more family friendly space, with their beloved pizzas made using a custom blend of flour from Italy to be the signature.

“We’re bringing a new style of pizza to Brisbane,” James said. “Our process is over about three or four days where we make a pre dough before hand. [The pizza] it’s fluffy, it’s light, it’s not heavy; the crust is massive and it’s just full of air and easy to eat.”

While the rest of the menu will consist of the likes of antipasti including wood-fired prawns and arancini, handmade pastas, and the likes of veal saltimbocca, eggplant parmigiana and grilled octopus.

“We like to do what we grew up with – nothing too fancy, no frills Italian, it’s just purely what you’d get in Italy but obviously the setting is going to be beautiful,” James said.

And to ensure all guests are welcome no matter what the time, 20 per cent of the dining space will be left for walk-ins.

“We don’t want people to think they can’t come with kids. We are an Italian restaurant at the end of the day and we do big families and big groups. We want New Farm locals and any one in Brisbane to be able to get it,” he said.

The hope is for the restaurant to open first week of September.