Hunter & Barrel and Italian Street Kitchen to open in Parramatta

They say carbs are back in vogue this year, so Parramatta diners are in for a feast with two popular Italian and steakhouse establishments heading west. Find out when the venues will make their debut.

Fried pizza dough from Italian Street Kitchen, which is sharing the mozzarella in Parramatta. Picture: Monique Harmer

The twirling of spaghetti and the tender pull of meat is beckoning at Parramatta where two established chains are opening in neighbouring shops in the CBD.

Italian Street Kitchen and Hunter & Barrel are slated to open at 180 George St, below Parramatta’s tallest residential tower, in May.

The waft of garlic and dry aged meats await locals in the residential part of the suburb where culinary options are multiplying.

Seagrass culinary manager Ran Kimelfeld says Hunter & Barrel diners can expect many dry-aged meats along with vegan options that mirror the foraging for ingredients such as herbs for which the restaurant is known.

“Hunter & Barrel is very, very influenced by fire cooking; cooking with open fire on smoke and it’s very, very seasonal,’’ he said.

Dishes at Barangaroo restaurant Hunter & Barrel use native Australian ingredients.

Negroni cocktail from Hunter & Barrel. Picture: Damian Shaw

“The menu changes twice a year. We try to bring in as many local Australian influences whether it’s native plants or trying to work with more native products.

“The flavours are very earthy, very smoky.’’

Hunter and Barrel’s next door neighbours Italian Street Kitchen are expanding from Bella Vista with the chain’s fifth restaurant in Parramatta.

Pizzas, cocktails, golden polenta chunks, wood-fired Italian cheese, wood-fired bread sticks, saffron pappardelle ossobuco, gnocchetti sardi salsiccia and paznereare and panzerotto mortadella make for excellent share plates.

Mediterranean feasts await at Italian Street Kitchen. Picture: Monique Harmer

ISK and Hunter and Barrel fall under the Seagrass hospitality brand which runs Meat and Wine Co, a venture that gave it the confidence to open another carnivore delight.

That, coupled with the knowledge many of Seagrass’ CBD customers travel from Parramatta.

A Seagrass spokeswoman said it wanted to have the biggest footprint in Parramatta, which was increasingly relevant as the centre of western Sydney.

“The development of the light rail and the pedestrianisation of the Parramatta CBD is transforming Parramatta into a more people-centric hub,’’ she said.

“This is complemented by the increase in residential apartment-style housing which also brings more people to the CBD.’’

The restaurants’ location on the corridor between the ferry terminal and the CBD is also being capitalised.