Bottarga Brighton restaurant review: Secret Italian fusion bayside fine diner exposed

This intimate Brighton restaurant serving tricked-up Italian eats has flown under the radar for several months, until now.

Eating at Bottarga for the first time may leave you with more questions than answers.

Why did chef Federico Bizzaro and his wine-loving partner, Hemmawan “Somi” Paremanee name their first solo restaurant in Brighton after salted, dried tuna roe?

Why are Japanese ingredients such as yuzu (citrus), wakame (seaweed) and karasumi (salted mullet roe) jammed into this largely Italian menu?

Why do some wines travel through a glass pipe-looking aerator (it’s the one from the TV infomercials!) before hitting your glass?

Yet the most pressing question of all: where has Bottarga been all of my life?

Federico and Somi’s intimate 25-seater venue has flown under the radar since opening last November as Melbourne thawed from its lockdown freeze.

The burratina at Bottarga Brighton. Picture: Rebecca Michael

Scallops. Picture: Rebecca Michael

Unlike Karen, anyone who doesn’t live within leafy Briiiighton’s 10km radius wouldn’t have clocked the new restaurant, let alone known it existed.

The Martin St space has changed ever so slightly since local fave Curley Whiskers’ tenancy: those cream stone-tiled floors remain, while the white walls have been repainted a moody ash grey, with sleek black marble-topped tables and comfy leather chairs filling out the cosy dining room.

An open kitchen with a large white marble bench is where the magic happens.

It’s where you’ll see Federico – who lists Vue de Monde, Matteo’s and Scopri on his CV – and one or two other chefs prepare dishes for Bottarga’s structured two to three-course offering.

During the past few months Federico has found his groove in the kitchen, moving away from traditional to modern Italian cuisine with a Japanese twist – which explains all that yuzu, seaweed and the restaurant’s fishy moniker (Bottarga is a delicacy in both countries).

At $65 for two and $80 for three courses, Bottarga is excellent value with options to splash out on snacks, sides and luxe mains.

Maybe you’ll try That’s Amore’s bulging burratina powdered with dried capers, resting on a forest of fennel prongs and aniseedy onion and fennel marmalade.

Convincingly, it could be a Heston Blumenthal creation — a thing of beauty that’s almost (hey, I said almost) too pretty to eat.

Squid ink spaghetti. Picture: Rebecca Michael

Kangaroo and Wallaby Bolognese. Picture: Rebecca Michael

The potato bread ($5) will soak up that soupy stracciatella – that’s if you don’t slather those fluffy squares in the ethereally light, umami packed furikake butter it’s served with.

Next comes cured scallop coins lined down the plate, acting like Moses to divide colourful pools of emulsified yuzu dressing and blood lime vinaigrette. It’s a complex dish, decorated with bursting finger limes, karkallas (salty sea succulents), black and green tobiko (flying fish roe) and saltbush powder, which together strike a surprisingly perfect balance of texture and flavour.

Larger plates have an Italian bent, with a bottle of smoky chilli oil (made by Federico’s mate) propped at the table to add at your leisure.

The light-on-its-feet Moreton Bay bug spaghetti includes both jet-black squid ink and blonde spaghetti tangled with sweet hunks of crustacean meat and a glossy golden lobster sauce.

That chilli oil livens things up, but it’s no match for the meaty maltagliati (badly cut pasta strands) bolognese.

Here, kangaroo mince and wallaby shanks are indulgently braised in duck fat.

Enjoy with a glass of Valpolicella, as the wine takes on a delicious new persona running wild with red cherries, herby savouriness and bright acidity.

Pannacotta. Picture: Rebecca Michael

Bottarga Brighton. Picture: Rebecca Michael

Strangely, the wine by the glass specials (poured via Coravin) are buried at the back of a difficult-to-navigate list filled mainly with Euro classics and choice Aussie pours.

But if you ask Somi, also a trained sommelier, she’ll guide you to what’s good in the wine, cocktail or beer hood.

Too full for dessert? A boozy final bite of rum-soaked yeast cake (rum baba) or ricotta cannoli arrive with the bill.

Brighton’s best kept secret no longer, Bottarga wows with its kitchen smarts, creativity and switched-on service, leaving you with one final question – when are you going back?