Gina is Barangaroo's newest pasta bar, already buzzing just three weeks after opening. From house-made salami to inventive pastas that change every few days, the menu combines classic Italian flavours with clever twists. With 170 seats and a waterfront setting and some great signature cocktails there's a lot to like. Find out what is a must order when you visit.
Mr NQN and I had just gotten back from our overseas holidays and the Mekong River seems worlds away from Barangaroo's tall buildings and bright lights. Pulling our coats tight against our bodies we head towards the waterfront of Barangaroo. The winter chill hasn't kept people away this evening. The pasta bar has only been open for 3 weeks but it is busy tonight. Gina is located where Tequila Daisy used to sit and seats 170 people with indoor and outdoor seating.
Gina is the newest restaurant from the Wondrous Entertainment's Efe Topuzlu and Ozgur Sefkatli. Gina's Group Executive Chef is Michael Chang who was formerly at Maydanoz with Sicilian-born Head Chef Giuseppe Pappalardo formerly of Molto Italian in Canberra. The restaurant is named Gina, after one of their very close friend's mothers who passed away during the fit out period.
There's a lot on the menu to like and we choose a little bit from each section but focusing on the pastas because of course that's their specialty. Dishes pair flavours like scallop crudo with bagna cauda and they also make some of their salami in-house and they are sliced to order.
We start with drinks and I'm excited to see a Sgroppino on the Grant Collins designed cocktail menu (this will be on repeat at our house in summer). The Sgroppino is made with Ketel One vodka, house made lemon sorbet, fresh lemon and Prosecco. The Italo Punch is made with spiced rum, apricot, passion fruit, pineapple and barrel aged bitters and isn't as sweet as it sounds thanks to the bitters.
Our first bite is one of my favourites. The crostini is a crisp toast topped with a tonnato sauce made with mayonnaise, tuna, olive oil, capers as well as slow cooked halved cherry tomatoes under a blanket of sashimi grade tuna with chives, grated bottarga and Avruga caviar. It hits all of the flavour points and is wonderfully crunchy as well. I eat this in small bites as I am enjoying it so much. A half dozen of these please.
Another thing that I will want to recreate in summer is the scallop crudo or raw scallops with blood orange half segments and a divine bagna cauda sauce. This is such a clever combination and the strong flavour of the bagna cauda seasons the raw scallops perfectly.
Although the restaurant has been open for 3 weeks, a few things have changed. The pizzetta on social media was originally a puffy bread but now it is served as a flatbread with a pool of luscious butter in the centre and a liberal sprinkling of salt on top.
The whipped ricotta is so creamy and light and topped with a pistachio pesto. The pesto does need a bit of seasoning to bring out the pistachio flavour if you're eating it by itself, although the pizzetta has a good sprinkle of salt on top so it's good eaten with the bread.
I love the pizzetta paired with the ricotta and the lingua or beef tongue. Tongue is one of my favourite cuts when cooked well and here it simply melts in the mouth. The beef tongue braised for 8 hours and then pickled and then thinly sliced. The salsa verde on top is made with tarragon, chives, dill, parsley, extra virgin olive oil and it is garnished with baby watercress and a small piece of radish (pickled radish would be even better IMHO).
Now it's time for the pastas and remember how I mentioned that things have changed on social media? The bad news is that the pastas change every 3-4 days so the beef tortellini may not be available when you go which is a real shame as I wish you could all try it. The good news is that the pastas are amazing. The beef tortellini is filled with beef wagyu 9+ skirt with prosciutto and mortadella encased in a hand hand egg pasta. The tortellini are first cooked in chicken stock and then creamy sauce redolent in freshly grated nutmeg. When you take a bite of the small pasta parcel, it's almost as though there is burst of juice in the bite.
The house made bucatini is similarly delightful. The texture of this is what makes it so moreish from the chewiness of the bucatini and the thick creaminess of the cacio e pepe sauce made with Pecorino Romano and black pepper. I would say that based on how unwilling we both were to share the bucatini, this is definitely a serve for one.
We were actually quite full at this stage but they had recommended the sirloin earlier and we had ordered it and we weren't sure if we could stop that train. But once it comes out we're glad that we tried it. The 250g/8.8oz Stockyard Angus beef is perfectly cooked medium rare and is meltingly tender. The house made seeded mustard is all this steak needs.
The steak goes well with the chips that are seasoned and crisp although they could be a touch hotter.
There are three desserts on the menu: tiramisu, chocolate tart and gelati (chocolate or Fior di Panna). While we love tiramisu I still remember how delicious the cake was at Izgara so we go with the chocolate tart. This is made with dark, bittersweet 70% Callebaut chocolate on a thin base with a sprinkle of sea salt and is all about that gorgeous bittersweet chocolate. The tart is torched before serving to give it a shine and a little jug of vanilla creme anglaise is served at the table to finish off this chocolatey rich dessert.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you eat an item using small bites if you enjoy it a lot? Do you love when restaurants change their menu regularly, or do you prefer knowing your favourite dish will always be there?
NQN and Mr NQN were guests of Gina but all opinions remain her own.
Gina
Shop 11/33 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9127 3942
https://ginapastabar.com.au/food
Reader Comments
Loading comments...Add Comment