The blackboard is a defining feature of trattorias and bistros around the world, signalling a menu that changes according to what’s good right now. There are three of them at Balmain’s new Italian wine bar, Cicci. One for food, and two for wine, backed by a formidable wall of more than 100 bottles reminiscent of influential Surry Hills bar 121BC.
“I guess it all started back when I was about 20,” co-owner Peter Zuzza says of the impressive wine list, which pulls from every tasting he’s ever been to, every menu he’s ever written, and every late night he’s spent working the floor of a restaurant. It features 30-plus wines by the glass, from Quealy Mornington Peninsula pinot gris and Barr Eden Valley shiraz to Sardinian vermentino and Sicilian nerello mascalese. He’s on hand most nights to guide you.
Zuzza’s family ran Glebe restaurant The Mixing Pot for 25 years. Later, he opened Tappo Osteria and ran legendary Haberfield pizzeria La Disfida for a decade. But he’s been dreaming about a place like Cicci, founded with longtime friend Steven Romanini, for most of his career.
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“I said to him, ‘Look, I’ve had this idea and concept in my head for 20 years, and it’s never been the right time to do it’,” Zuzza says. “And before I even finished the sentence, he says, ‘I’m in.’ I said, ‘I haven’t said what it is yet.’ And he said, ‘It doesn’t matter, whatever it is.’”
Stop by for a glass of nero d’avola and a couple of Gildas, or book a table for a full feast. Chef Naomi Lowry, who held senior positions at Icebergs, Pilu, Ormeggio, Biota Dining and Zuzzu’s own Tappo, oversees a concise one-page menu of seasonal dishes, plus that daily specials blackboard.
The caponata is a good, saucy way to start, with grilled bread to mop it all up. And the mafaldine has been a fan-favourite since opening, served with cavolo nero pesto and gorgonzola cream.
The team expects the menu to change every four to five weeks, with daily additions depending on what they find at the markets. On Broadsheet’s visit? Delicate, tender slices of pastrami, made with salmon that arrived earlier that day.
Cicci Balmain
475 Darling Street, Balmain
Hours:
Wed to Thu 4–10pm
Fri to Sat 12–10pm
ciccifoodwine.com/
@ciccibalmain