Dining: Head chef reunion dinner at Pilu at Freshwater
Pilu at Freshwater is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a special one-off head chef reunion dinner.
Fine-dining is celebrating a northern beaches success story. Big name Sydney restaurants like ACME, Billy Kwong and The Bridge Room have closed, however Pilu at Freshwater has reached a milestone anniversary in dining terms with 15 years in business.
Restaurateur Giovanni Pilu believes one factor of the beachfront restaurant’s success story is hard work.
“There has never been a day when I can say I have made it,” he said.
“You have to keep on top of it, work hard and never slack off.”
Pilu will mark the occasion by bringing together three former head chefs for a celebratory one-off, five-course dinner.
Daniel Mulligan, Jason Saxby and Matteo Zamboni will join Pilu and current head chef Federico Porceddu for a night to reunite old friends, share memories and cook creative Italian food.
Reuniting former staff who have gone their separate ways is an achievement. Staff are more than employees, Pilu said.
“We have a lifelong relationship with our staff, even if they are not chefs,” he said.
“People work with us, not for us.”
Since their time in Freshwater, two chefs have forged careers in well known establishments. Jason Saxby who left in February, is heading up the kitchen at landmark venue Rae’s on Wategos in Byron Bay. His predecessor, Matteo Zamboni, who was at Pilu from 2012 to 2016 has stayed locally and is now executive chef at Whale Beach icon Jonah’s.
Pilu’s first head chef, Daniel Mulligan started in the kitchen as a teenager has since turned a hobby into a business and now makes ceramics.
Each chef will prepare a signature dish from their time at the award-winning restaurant and play to their strengths, Pilu said.
Current head chef Federico Porceddu has worked with both Zamboni and Saxby. The Sardinian chef will ease diners into the night with the Moreton Bay bug starter from the current degustation menu. Mulligan is doing a pasta dish, Saxby is preparing a lamb main course and Zamboni will finish the night with dessert.
This leaves one dish for the boss to do. And there can only be one dish. Pilu will prepare his signature polcheddu arrustu e ‘laldinu’.
His suckling slow-roasted pig on the bone has put him on the culinary map and won legions of fans including Nigella Lawson, who dropped in for a pasta lunch and a little roast pork taster back in March.
This dish has been on the menu from the first days of Pilu, and before that at Cala Luna, the small Sardinian restaurant Pilu ran for seven years at The Spit.
The dish has evolved over 20 years. Pilu now uses free range pork from a single producer Melanda Park.
“We use meat from a small farm on the Hawkesbury,” he said.
“Using one producer makes the quality a lot more consistent.”
The whole pig ends up on the plate. Leg meat is minced and turned into pork and fennel sausages. It is served with radish to cut through the richness.
This simple dish originally introduced Sydneysiders to traditional Sardinian cooking and other ingredients from Pilu’s homeland.
“Sardinian staples are borttaga, fregola, homey, almonds and saffron,” he said.
“The menu is Italian with strong Sardinian influences.”
Essentials
Head chef reunion dinner
August 22, from 6.30pm. Five-course, $145 a head, matching wines $80 extra a head. No vegetarian option available.
Pilu at Freshwater, Moore Rd, Freshwater.
Bookings: 9938 3331
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