Nunzio's Restaurant

20 Essex Street, Fremantle
Phone (08) 6219 5441
www.nunzios.net.au
Fabulous in Freo
Walking into Nunzio’s is such a pleasure with its quaint individual rooms and the gorgeous paintings everywhere. It has a welcoming atmosphere and warm, cosy feeling.
Fabio Lorenzano and Eva Hoehne have taken over Nunzio’s recently, but Nunzio, as part of the family, still makes an appearance at front of house. There has been a family of customers for over 40 years which Nunzio is passing on.
Eva, Nunzio’s step daughter, studied for her pastry chef course between having her two children in Rome, and loves making the desserts, pasta and bread. Fabio, also from Rome, has experience in hospitality and is the owner/manager with Eva.
They used to come to Australia annually to visit Nunzio and Eva’s mother, and fell in love with the casual, friendly atmosphere here in Perth and decided to make the move.
The head chef is Adriano and he continues with the traditional Italian food, so treasured by Nunzio’s family.
I was impressed by the number of gluten free (gf) and vegan dishes.
New appetisers include Carnarvon scallops al gratin; tiered baked eggplant with buffalo mozzarella, parmesan, and basil (gf); local grilled cuttlefish with aioli and lemon (gf); and pork belly with chestnut puree and alfalfa (gf). These were served with homemade bread rolls with whipped butter containing herbs, sundried tomato and garlic. A real treat.
The Carnarvon scallops al gratin were my favourite and matched perfectly with the Italian wine 2016 Astoria Fano Asolo Prosecco – a match made in heaven.
The baked eggplant was served in a pretty flower shape and the eggplant was smooth and creamy, added to by the mozzarella and the piquant taste of the parmesan.
The cuttlefish was served with its little legs which were firm and delicious with the aioli and lemon adding another dimension to the flavour of the cuttlefish.
The pork belly had a delicious cranberry sauce, as chestnuts are out of season. This sweetness added a lovely flavour to the beautifully cooked meat, and the crackling was perfect.
The beetroot and spinach gnocchi with pumpkin puree and crushed pistachio (vegan) Primo Piatti was superb. Served piled up like a hillock, the mixed red and green gnocchi had a beautiful pumpkin puree moat around it. The gnocchi had a smooth, earthy taste and the dish was carefully prepared with no cheese, and pistachio instead, especially for vegans. The Italian wine was Vign Amato, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Valle delle Lame and went so well with the gnocchi.
For our Secondi Piatti we tried the lamb cutlets, with rainbow baby carrots and honey roasted potatoes, and green herbs sauce (gf). The lamb was so tender and the green herbs sauce added an extra bite to the lamb. The carrots and potatoes were divine and this dish was my dining partner’s favourite.
Our Bailey’s Dome (gf) dessert was a sight to behold. It was dome shaped and covered in shiny dark chocolate. Inside was a flourless cocoa cake topped with a spongy chocolate mousse, infused with Baileys and each mouthful was a delight.
There was a great selection of Italian wines to choose from and the ones we tasted were an excellent choice, matching very well with our food.
Nunzio’s is a place to keep visiting, to try all the delicious dishes on offer. It is open Tuesday 5pm-10pm; Wednesday to Friday 12noon to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm; and Saturday and Sunday 5pm-10pm.
by Frances Myshell
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