DI NING original, but this dish offers addictive oceanic flavour, creamy dill and crunch. Tossed together in ceramic and flecked with yellow and fuchsia petals, it’s damn pretty too. Dishes like the parmigiana di melenzane are a rich and powerful beginning to the meal, and should be enjoyed with something dry or tannic to equalise the density. This dish is fragrant with tomato sauce, melting Mozzarella and eggplant, whose skin peels silently from the seeded flesh as if in a dream. Perhaps a small nightmare for parents with freshly clothed children. The wine list is the kind that rests on the table between meals, offering an exciting range of new and old European wines by glass and bottle. But mainly, it’s a firm nod to Australia and New Zealand’s vineyards. Wave the white flag? New Zealand’s Catalina Sounds Sauvignon Blanc yields soft stone fruits sharpened with citrus and mineral; ideal with black muscles and garlic. The Fickle Mistress Pinot Noir from Central Otago is a nice and easy, candied red that dances with the calamari, while the things turn darker with the Pepperjack Shiraz from South Australia, all plum pudding, fruit and chocolate; an awesome wine. Okay now, back to Italy. Pizza in hand, I challenge anyone to refute the saying that ‘one cannot live by bread alone’. Made on order, with a wickedly gratifying base that softens under toppings but crunches at the crust, the pizzas pouring out of that wood fire oven score on substance and flavour. Tear apart the schiacciata garlic flatbread with pesto or classic margherita as an entree, but allow room for the likes of prosciutto e arugula, whose buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto San Daniele, rocket and Parmigiano shards melt together lavishly and barely stick to the base. Although wanting of zest or something spicy, topped with some house olive oil and salt flakes, it skirts on bellíssimo. The quick transition from pizza to pasta might evoke visions of clueless tourists searching Rome for the real deal of flavour, but again, Cucina Vivo doesn’t do clichés. Especially when their pasta is all homemade. The pasta menu covers land and sea, from the simple roots of mince ragù with fresh egg pasta, to the more decadent tortelloni ripieni of crab and ricotta nestled in green pea purée and a scatter of micro-herbs and dill. It tastes as sweet as it looks, but packs a moreish punch of salt on each bite. The wait team is friendly and prompt, but depending on the speed of indoor custom, it is sometimes difficult to call attention from the balcony. But aside from a few service overlaps and a used fork left behind here and there, their service is as crisp as their peppermint pinstripe uniforms. Our spritely waitress offers suggestions when due, which all harmonise with our other selections. When pondering the pasta menu, she lifts a hand. “Tonight’s pasta special is gnocchi with mushrooms and truffle oil. We just tested it in the kitchen earlier and…” Her words stall and eyes flutter as she recalls the moment. With a Don Corleone accent, it’s an offer we can’t refuse. Each mouthful of gnocchi is airy and smooth, enveloped in a light kiss of oil that resembles buttered toast. Oh, but it’s substantial all right, and draws a quick thirst with all the salt and generous wedges of fungi. In all its richness, it’s just one step away from the Light Meal Premier League. Another Birra Moretti, please. By this stage, Gold Coast’s unique Italian sojourn is rounding off well. Urban groove music pulses gently into the night while rays of restaurant lamp dance on the water below. The soft clink of cutlery and chitchat continues. The skyline keeps on a’glistening. Your mind begins to float like a dandelion spore over the Med Sea before the next dish arrives. Its intention is clear. The cioccolato rosso Ferrari comes to surprise, indulge and provide some evening theatrics. Our waitress lowers a red-dusted dome of tempered chocolate to our table, and pours a tiny bottle of Grappa infused liquid chocolate into a hole in its top. Cold steam erupts from the dome and cascades down its circumference, while the waitress smirks and leaves us to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’. A pistachio crostata base rests beneath a creamy scoop of stracciatella ice cream, partly encased with liquid chocolate, and as we spoon-tap the dome, it breaks and falls apart like a jewellery box of frozen delight. All the ingredients melt and blend in a not-too-richtake me-back-to-the-gnocchi sort of way, and it’s both warm and cool like the night around us. This dessert is an instant classic. Now might be the time to revaluate your idea of quality Italian. Cream is out, balance is in, and the location of the venue is another factor of the feast. This isn’t a restaurant trying to be Italy; Cucina Vivo is a venue blending the flavours and favourites of two worlds to create an Italian experience that is still very much Gold Coast. So, before you begin rolling your R’s and checking out Vespa prices, remember you’re still at home, content in the hands of a restaurant that’s doing it right. pm Cucina Vivo Address Jupiters Hotel and Casino, Broadbeach 4218 Phone 07 5592 8100 pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 105
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Five
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