Italian restaurant Hobart: Cultura Espresso Bar & Restaurant review

This Hobart favourite feels like a restaurant that locals return to again and again and tourists are pleased to discover, writes Alix Davis. REVIEW >>

Cultura Bar and Restaurant, Liverpool St Hobart.

The 1960s and 70s were the golden age of Italian immigration to Tasmania – many arriving to work on the hydro scheme and later settling in Hobart and Launceston.

Luke Rocchia’s grandfather Gino landed here from Abruzzo (midway up Italy’s east coast) in 1961 and Hobart has been the family’s home ever since.

In his much-loved CBD restaurant, Cultura, Luke celebrates his family’s journey with large-scale black-and-white photographs of his snappily dressed grandparents disembarking from their ship, his parents in suburban Hobart in the late 70s and more.

Combined with Luke’s welcoming manner (he greets us by name when we arrive although this is the first time we’ve eaten there), Cultura feels like a restaurant that locals return to again and again and tourists are pleased to discover.

Cultura Sicilian duck. Picture Graziano DiMartino.

My husband is happy to see Peroni Red (brewed in Italy) on the menu and we pair that with a serve of arancini ($21).

This evening’s variety is mushroom and four plump balls of golden, fried mushroom risotto – with a hint of truffle – are a delicious start to the meal.

They come with a dab of parmesan aioli and a slick of vibrant basil pesto and don’t last long at all.

There are plenty of pizza options and Rocchia’s background as a pizza chef has me salivating over the ’nduja (soft, spicy salami) variety ($30), as well as the d’Abruzzo calzone ($31) stuffed with smoked ham, roasted peppers, mushrooms and provolone.

Sadly, there’s only two of us dining tonight so the pizza will have to wait for our next visit.

My husband decides on the slow-cooked beef and lamb ragu, which pairs well with the housemade gnocchi, before making a last-minute swerve to spaghetti marinara in Napoletana sauce ($39).

Cultura Espresso Bar and Restaurant Beef and Lamb Ragu with Gnocchi. Picture Graziano DiMartino. For TasWeekend Indulge

A marinara pasta can be risky as sometimes it’s a big bowl of pasta with very little seafood. Happily, that’s not the case here as his bowl is studded with mussels in the shell, prawns, calamari and fish.

The sauce is rich and full of flavour and the spaghetti is perfectly al dente.

I opt for the Sicilian duck ($43) for my main and Rocchia tells me it’s their most popular dish. After the first mouthful, I can see why.

The duck Maryland has been slow-cooked in a rich sauce of red wine and dried fruit until it’s falling off the bone and is accompanied by fat pillows of housemade chestnut gnocchi. Thanks to its location in the southern Mediterranean, the food of Sicily is heavily influenced by its proximity to ancient trade routes and North Africa – both of which are in evidence here. While recognisably Italian, this dish reminds me of a Moroccan tagine and, while I’m not usually a fan of duck, this dish may have converted me.

Cultura Arancini for TasWeekend Indulge.

Cultura Espresso Bar and Restaurant spaghetti marinara.

It is the brainchild of head chef John Martinez, who has been in Cultura’s kitchen for six of the restaurant’s 12 years now.

The dining room is packed on a Tuesday, which speaks volumes about Cultura’s popularity. “We’ve worked hard to build a reputable business,” Rocchia says, “and we have a real focus on local customers.”

Thanks to its CBD location, Cultura also sees its fair share of visitors as well. Staff are friendly and attentive: our water glasses are topped up regularly and we’re offered another drink in a timely fashion.

This is obviously a restaurant that knows what it’s doing.

The dessert menu includes classic tiramisu, but I’m drawn to the Sicilian cassata ($16) – which our waiter notes is layers of cake, not ice cream.

Cultura Espresso Bar and Restaurant Sicilian cassata. Picture Graziano DiMartino.

While traditional Sicilian cassata is topped with a layer of distinctive green marzipan and candied fruit, this version comes with a thick layer of glossy chocolate ganache instead.

The cake itself is thin layers of sponge interspersed with ricotta studded with dried fruit and finely chopped dark chocolate and it’s served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I like the fact that it’s not too sweet and it’s an enjoyable finish to our meal.

While many long-term locals obviously already know and love Cultura, it’s new to me, and I have a feeling we’ll be back soon.