There is just something about sitting down to a table dressed smugly in a red and white chequered cloth, lit by a single floating tea light sporadically illuminating a piccolo wood turned pepper mill and snello silver salt cellar, which has me Googling the Italian translation for “tiny” and “slender” purely to describe the table condiments. Santa Lucia Trattoria is an excitingly classic meets contemporary dining experience, tucked cheekily away at Swinger Hill shops in Canberra’s South.
The atmosphere is intimate and relaxing, with a perfectly balanced fusion of chicly clean contemporary styling politely infused with classic Italian elements. Large sepia toned prints of cobbled streets and Roman architecture offer those diners with heightened imagination the experience of casually glancing out at a romanticised European lifestyle.
Summoning my inner Italian, I first perused the wine list and was thrilled by what was on offer. Highly polished, the menu offers differing styles of reds and whites obtained all across Australia and includes a short, detailed description of tasting notes as well as geographic origin. Also present is a refined list of classic cocktails as well as imported Italian wines, also accompanied by detailed tasting notes. Staying on the safe side, as I am no wine connoisseur I selected a Two Brothers Moscato from Hanwood NSW and sunk back into a deeper state of blissful relaxation upon first sip (glug) – it was superbo.
Not knowing what to expect from the kitchen, I was bowled over by the quality and almost insane value for money. Garlic bread was made from a crusty, flour dusted Italian loaf toasted to perfection and infused with a gloriously golden glaze of smokey sweet flavour.
By now, enticing aromas of parmesan, tomato and herbs had started to drift through the restaurant, further adding to my illustrious fantasy of lounging at a café in Rome.
Impressive entrees soon arrived in the form of Grilled Calamari (Calamari Alla Griglia) and Zucchini Fritters (Zuppa Di Pesce). It always surprises me how eating some foods actually stimulate the appetite as opposed to stifling it, and these tasty starters performed their roles flawlessly. The tender calamari curls were scorched with chargrilled finesse and coated lightly in a fresh, lip smacking dressing of olive oil, garlic and lemon, nestled comfortably on a spritely nest of peppery rockett leaves. The Zucchini fritters were presented in a neatly enticing ensemble, drizzled in the most delicious balsamic dressing I’ve ever had the pleasure to taste. Thick, sweet, glistening syrup made for a dramatic show against the soft, Kermit coloured creamy centres, laced with a peppery burst, hiding beneath warm crispy crust which almost splintered apart as I pressured it with my knife.
Things just kept getting better. I have five words for you – Homemade pasta and lamb shanks. The pasta was a decorous green and yellow crazy-string combination of homemade egg and spinach strands, immersed in a light cream sauce which coated each and every piece. Coupled with salty bacon, earthy mushrooms and sweet, succulent peas, the sensational spiralling presentation made for a fantastic meal.
Carnivores rejoice! You have not been forgotten. The meat from the red wine and tomato slow cooked lamb shanks was so achingly tender, it simply melted away from the bone as I poked it with my spoon. Visually stunning, the shanks came resting lightly on a super soft and creamy pool of seasoned potato, surrounded by a crimson moat of the drunken tomato cooking liquid. The strands of meat were so mouth-wateringly silky, it took every bit of restraint to ignore my primal urges of feverishly gnawing every last piece from the bone.
The Italian classic Tiramisu came for desert, topped with macerated berry coulis and fresh cream, as well as a marsala zabaglione which was the show stopper of the evening for me. Layered in a cocktail glass complete with salvador sponge to dunk, I spent the rest of the night trying to determine every flavour so I could attempt to re-create at home. Not for the kiddies, the creamy marsala mousse and dark berry combination meant business and had me scraping the base of the glass for every last drop – I can’t praise it highly enough.
I implore you to visit Santa Lucia. The wonderful specials board changes fortnightly to keep things freshly interesting and the prices are incredibly reasonable. If you’re dining in the city, expect to pay much more for something not quite on parr. I’ll be back for sure – I might just join the gentlemen in my favourite sepia wall print, lounging beneath a vintage Campari sign… I will however, have to extend my Italiano linguistics a tad further than the Google machine.
Photography by Chris Whitfield
