Look familiar? Hidden bar Cardea and Italian restaurant Bottega Coco opens on site of Bel & Brio in Barangaroo

Hidden bar Cardea and Italian restaurant Bottega Coco opens on site of Bel & Brio in Barangaroo, after former restaurateur Mark locked over failure to pay more than $1.8 million in rent.

DAILY TELEGRAPH 25TH JULY 2023 Pictured is the interior of Cardea, the new bar on the site of infamous Barangaroo restaurant Bel&Brio. Picture: Richard Dobson

It’s a case of same, same but different for a new bar that’s opened up on the site of Bel & Brio in Barangaroo.

An intimate hidden bar, Cardea, as well as an Italian restaurant Bottego Coco is the first to occupy the corner site after restaurateur Mark Richerdson was dramatically locked out of the premise over failure to pay more than $1.8 million in rent, leaving staff and customers stranded.

While the previous owner has gone, there are traces of Bel & Brio everywhere: around 80 per cent of the furnishings and cutlery being used for the new venue to be more sustainable.

Bottego Coco and Cardea is run by restaurateur Garry Simonian, who also has venues like Luna Lu in The Rocks, Meat District Co on King Street Wharf and Cafe Birkenhead in Birkenhead Point.

While the restaurant has been open for a month, the luxe cocktail bar is a new edition to the premises and named after the roman goddess Cardea, who safeguards doorways against evil spirits, it’s described as “a world brimming with entertainment, intrigue, and the thrill of intercontinental indulgence.”

Like Bottego Coco, culinary director Pier Davide Maiuri has overseen the menu at Cardea, where every cocktail can be paired with a dish.

Bottega Coco opens in Barangaroo. Source: Supplied

Bel & Brio before it closed in 2022. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Maiuri said the international menu is inspired by countries like Morocco, China and Italy and includes everything from tuna carpaccio to dumplings to black angus short ribs.

“The menu as well as the cocktails from the mixologist is designed to take guests on a trip. It’s very intimate and classy,” Maiuri said.

Executive Chef Pier Davide Maiuri at Cardea. Picture: Richard Dobson

Maiuri said about they’ve kept about 80 per cent of what was leftover at Bel & Brio, as well as using the finest, seasonal and sustainable ingredients on the menu.

“We have a no waste policy, so I don’t see why we shouldn’t reuse things if they are in good condition. Most new venues say what can they do to give the place a fresh start, but we are asking different questions. Instead of what can we bring, we’ve been asking what can I do the old but give it new identity? Sustainability is really important.”