LA FAMILIAR
It’s been more than 16 years between vinos, but now That Italian Place is finally back where it all started on the Gold Coast
GOOD pasta dough needs time to rest and the same goes for Nino Ieracitano’s restaurant, which is all the better for the time it spent sitting and waiting for his return to the Gold Coast.
Many long term locals will have fond memories of Nino and his partner Belinda Lane’s Mermaid Beach restaurant of the same name which operated from 1999 to 2001.
The couple have spent the years in between raising their children across the border in Griffith where the second iteration of That Italian Place came to life.
Now in the third and final phase, the restaurant has come home to the Glitter Strip, this time located on Chevron Island and like a fine wine, all the better for its maturity.
“Our children have flown the nest so we decided to come back up to where the weather is nicer,” Belinda says. “We looked from Palm Beach right up to Southport for a location and nothing gelled until we got to Chevron Island. It has a lovely village feel which reminded us quite a lot of Europe.
“We’ve had our original customers come in which is lovely but then again we had people drive the 16 hours from the Gold Coast to Griffith just for our food.”
The food in question includes fettuccine aglio olio peperoncino which is pasta dressed with garlic, oil, chilli and cherry tomato, then there’s the scallopina de vitello with tender veal accompanied by mushrooms, marsala or lemon.
“What we do is different to most other Italian restaurants on the Coast because it’s southern Italian food,” Belinda says.
“The place Nino comes from was invaded lots of times so there’s a lot of herbs and spices you might think are Moroccan or North African.
“He makes his gnocchi and egg pasta from scratch. His bolognaise he puts on first thing in morning and it’s left to simmer until the evening so it cooks eight to 10 hours – none of this two minute stuff.”
Born in Calabria, a place Nino describes as the “big toe on the boot”, he entered the hospitality industry aged 12 doing his apprenticeship at the legendary Savoy Hotel in London.
It was here that he met Belinda some years later and together the pair have spent a lifetime working together in the hospitality industry.
For now, Nino is manning the kitchen and Belinda bouncing between making the desserts and managing the front of house, but there will soon be a new chef, plus a pastry chef all the way from Nino’s home of Calabria to lend a hand.
When Gold Coasters get wind Nino has come home once again, something tells us there’ll be plenty of appetite for what they’ve got to serve.
That Italian Place is located a 1/54 Thomas Dr, Chevron Island. Open for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Friday and dinner only on Saturdays.