Glitches but Woolloongabba newcomer still impresses

A Woolloongabba newcomer brings style and a strong drinks list but does the food match up?

3 min read

February 17, 2022 - 4:00PM

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Who’s afraid of the pandemic? Apparently no one in Woolloongabba, with the inner-south’s newest Italian restaurant Sasso full to the gills on a weeknight as Omicron rages.

We want to add one to our party and it can’t be achieved through the online booking site but the restaurant kindly sorts it by email. This is one hot-ticket venue.

The 110 seater, which opened in November in the new South City Square development on Logan Road, beckons diners with trees wound with fairy lights out the front, and attractively tiled garden beds and stairs complementing the restaurant’s curved frontage, which is hugged by sets of outdoors tables and chairs.

The cool, ’70s-vibed dining room features a marble-countered bar, open kitchen and banquettes, with tables extending out along a veranda to accommodate a clientele from couples to friends to families.

Sasso restaurant in Woolloongabba

We’re at the furthest reach of the restaurant at the final wooden table on the other side of a pillar near the kitchen, which was emanating heat on a very hot evening.

Despite the remote location, staff pop by frequently to refill our water glasses, although we do have to flag down someone to get a drink from the comprehensive list that runs to a page of negronis, cocktails, by-the glass wines in three sizes, a lengthy bottle list with plenty of Italians, and strong line-ups of spirits and beers, including a special drop made by Brisbane’s Aether Brewing.

Oysters, arancini, yellow fin tuna tartare, charcuterie, house pickled sardines, fritto misto, house-made bread and burrata are potential starters but we begin with gnocco fritto ($12), which we’re told by a waitress are a couple of small, enticing dough balls.

However they’re substantial, only just cooked in the centre and quite heavy, and draped with parma prosciutto, parmesan and honey dressing, which do their best to rescue the situation.

Gnocco fritto at Sasso in Woolloongabba

Char-grilled Fremantle octopus ($26) still bears the gelatinous texture of the confit in places and comes with slices of kipfler potato, with appealing nduja pesto and salmoriglio dressing.

Woe with the dough continues with the pizza we order.

Twelve are on offer, 10 of which use fior di latte, the soft, cow’s milk mozzarella, according to the menu.

One of our party chooses the acciughe ($25) billed as featuring the cheese as well as tomato, white anchovies, olives, garlic and oregano, however it arrives with no cheese.

After we alert someone, they quickly put in an order for another and while we wait we’re visited by a different, perhaps more senior staff member, who tells us that the pizza isn’t served with cheese, that’s a mistake on the menu.

Perhaps update the menu then?

Either way we’re swiftly delivered a replacement and it’s fine, the base not as charry and light as it could be but smeared with a good quantity of tomato sauce, anchovies and the previously unsighted cheese.

Cavatelli at Sasso

Main courses are share style, with bistecca alla Fiorentina and Tuscan steak, pork cotoletta, half roast chicken, and whole roasted fish.

We try two of the list of pastas, the small elongated shells of cavatelli with pork shoulder ragout, fermented cabbage and chilli ($31) a zippy power package of pleasing flavours.

The cacio e pepe ($29), the traditional Roman pecorino and pepper pasta, however, is quite a wet version, the cheese an overwhelming factor.

Tiramisu, golden gaytime pannacotta, and a gelati and sorbet selection are on offer but for a smaller ending, individual crunchy cannoli, filled with whipped ricotta, dark chocolate and pistachio ($8) are fresh and appealing, as is the small doughnut bombolini filled with lemon custard ($6) with caramel sauce on the side.

Cannoli at Sasso

I don’t think we saw the best of Sasso, perhaps there were staffing issues as it was at the peak of the recent outbreak, because while our table was remote from the action and our food was very up and down, locals were voting with their feet and the place was packed.