LilyMu, Rivareno, CicciaBella open at Parramatta Square outdoor dining
Classic Italian cuisine, contemporary Asian dishes and irresistible gelato have christened the outdoor dining precinct of a $3.2 billion redevelopment in Sydney’s second CBD. Here’s why food lovers should be excited about the sweeping changes for the area.
Parramatta
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The $3.2 billion Parramatta Square redevelopment will be a business juggernaut but has started to attract food lovers with the opening of three restaurants at its outdoor dining domain.
LilyMu, Rivareno and CicciaBella are bringing Asian fusion, crowd-pleasing gelato and classic Italian respectively to the precinct, which officially opened on Wednesday.
“I haven’t been to Parramatta since over six years and the square itself, even sitting in the square outside, it’s so well done,’’ LilyMu executive chef Brendan Fong said.
“You feel like you’re in the city or Barangaroo. I feel like I’m in a different city, like London.’’
After six years working in the UK, Fong has joined head chef Songthum (Bass) Kumponthanatat for a menu that draws inspiration from his Fijian and Chinese heritage, and Kumponthanatat’s Thai lineage.
“We wanted to bring something fresh to Parramatta Square. There’s a lot of just Chinese, just Thai restaurants and obviously a lot of Italian,’’ Fong said.
“Rather than just trying to be just an Asian restaurant we’re trying to blend the cultures together.
“It’s predominantly Chinese and Thai. It takes influences from Bass’ heritage, which is Thai, my own which is Chinese, and part of it is influences I’ve picked up through travelling in Singapore and Hong Kong.’’
The pair is especially proud of the Tom yum prawn dumplings, with the flavour of the soup captured in a morsel.
Their twist on mie goreng uses black garlic fused in the noodles, bean sprouts, leek, which sit below the egg yolk.
“Everyone’s had mie goreng at one stage or another in their lives so we make a version of black garlic,’’ Fong said.
“That’s what our food’s meant to do. It’s meant to raise curiosity but also be familiar. The food is nostalgic. It creates but the presentation is meant to bring memories of how you ate it at home. It’s a new style of dish but the flavour is something you’ve had before.”
Fong also injects an Asian touch into the Pacific Islander snapper ceviche (lemon, lime, coconut juice and taro) by dressing it with fish sauce and chilli.
Across the domain, Rivareno gelato was blessed with a perfect spring day driving a constant stream of customers to indulge in one of 26 flavours at its opening.
The signature cremino (white chocolates and hazelnut ganache with layers of gianduja) also proved to be Parra’s best-selling scoop.
“We had a really good reception today,’’ Rivareno founder Kieran Tosolini said.
“We heard so many positive comments.’’
Rivareno does not display its luscious scoops out in open but was a trailblazer of Sydney to contain offerings in “pozzetti’’ (deep cylinders), to maintain the ideal temperature.
“It was tough being the guinea pig but now people are used to it,’’ Tosolini said.
“We don’t use colourings so the signage we use attempts to bring it in and it also provides a bit of a visual stimulus.
“I think it’s refreshing. With our gelato, you can actually taste the ingredients when you’re eating. When you have a pistachio, it’s going to taste like a pistachio, not a flavouring.’’
Establishing Rivareno in Parramatta has long held appeal for Tosolini.
“We think it’s an area with a huge amount of potential, a lot of development and it’s a real multicultural area,’’ he said.
Like Rivareno, which has its roots in Darlinghurst and Barangaroo, CicciaBella has migrated from the east to Parramatta Square.
Maurice Terzini, the force behind Otto Woolloomooloo and Bondi Icebergs, has a classic menu paying homage to southern Italian cuisine.
Diners will find simple, intense flavours from head chef Nic Wong, mixologist Matt Whiley, wine sommelier James Hird and general manager Dave Owen.
Whipped ricotta, wagyu lasagne, ocean trout cartoccio feature in a well-proportioned menu, rounded out with desserts including banoffee pie and tiramisu.
Sushi Yuzen also opened in the precinct and joins Betty’s Burgers and Fishbowl, while Ruse Bar & Brasserie, Harvey’s Hot Sandwiches and Threefold Pastry are due to open by the end of the year.
