dining tartufo In the middle of an urban hot spot in Brisbane, an Italian cuisine legend artfully brings to life decades of family culinary history in a setting that is reminiscent of 1950s downtown Chicago. Story Lizzy Keen There’s something very romantic about this place. The sultry red hue of the bar embosoming the bourbon bottles like naked flames, the vintage mirrored black and white pillars framing the settings of stark white crockery under the petroleum black ceiling. There’s plenty of scarlet red leather, soft lighting and dark timber; the only thing missing is a plume of cigar smoke to cloud the evening chatter. The setting of The Valley’s Tartufo, and Tony Percuoco’s longstanding pledge to intelligent Italian cuisine, is sophisticated and intriguing, and a good enough reason to change the tricolori to red, white and black. While there’s no cigar smoke or accents to contemplate, Tartufo has a lot of international character to its name, and lots of virtuosic Italian personality to its dishes. Being son to Sydney Italian cuisine legend, the late Mario Percuoco of Kings Cross’ reverenced Pulcinella, probably makes Tony’s ability a given, if not a right. Tartufo is a gastronomic gallery of Italian–Australian history through simply stylish cooking that anyone would cross town for. Tony’s desire to show Brisbane a piece of his history, his Italy, is reflected by the enormous black and white photos on the walls, depicting 1920s Naples. The people in the pictures are frozen in time, in an era gone by. Tony doesn’t need to be prompted to tell you about these images – he will happily tell you they are of his own family. “They look down on me. I think of them as my angels,” he says. Tartufo’s menu speaks a language that anyone with an idea of decent Italian food can understand. The gli stuzzichini (appetizer) menu measures out a tempting expanse of Italian classics like arancini balls swelling with green peas and ricotta, calamari fritto with wild rocket, and polette al sugo (traditional meatballs). The primi menu (entrees) follows in a similar light-flavoured suit, with a selection of raw fish and meats or hot wood-smoked salmon filet with chives and wicked mascarpone. All’s well that starts well, but this is a time to let the mixed desgustazione do the talking. True amore begins with the bread; warm, chewy slices of ciabatta dripping in organic extra virgin olive oil that disappears through the dough between the table and mouth. It’s an indulgent and comforting confirmation that bread is the staff of life. The crudo di pesce, a fan of raw kingfish and silky scallop peppered with capers, chives and diced tomato and layered in lemon juice and golden olive oil softens the palette with mellow salty sweetness. The sensations are roused suddenly by the piquancy of braised veal and anchovy of the vitello tonnato, the latter mixed with tuna, capers and mayonnaise to coat the slices of pungent cornichons. Both dishes echo a famous Italian adage; an appetiser is a dish best served cold. Mafia movies aside, the origine of the Percuocos’ culinary craftsmanship is in fact linked somewhat to the mafia escalation in Naples during the early 1970s. Mario’s decision to getaway from the then pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 107
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Three
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