A touch of European class
Many years ago I travelled to Los Angeles to investigate the (then) new world of food trucks. After a 14-hour flight and an early morning arrival into LA, I allowed my husband to have a shower before dragging him out to a diner for brunch. The waitress presented us with a dazzling array of options for our omelettes and then moved onto 15 different kinds of toast. It was all a little exhausting (or maybe that was just the jet lag) and we were subsequently presented with an omelette that was stuffed with fillings and more than capable of fuelling us through until dinner.
And it was that omelette that I had in the back of my mind when I ordered the omelette special ($21) at Riva Est recently. Instead, I received an elegant and sophisticated version of this ubiquitous brunch dish - a perfectly cooked omelette folded into thirds and topped with a saucy crumb of ‘nduja and red capsicum sprinkled with parmesan, bright with chilli oil and packing a big flavour punch. ‘Nduja is a spicy, spreadable pork salami from the Calabria region of Italy and here it paired perfectly with the delicate flavour of the eggs. A slice of housemade sourdough toast – wonderfully dense and with a fine crumb – came in handy for mopping up the leftover chilli oil as I didn’t want to waste a drop.
Riva Est is the newly opened offshoot of Cugini’s, the popular Eastern Shore Italian restaurant owned by cousins Alfonso and Marco Giusti. After 10 years at this site, they recently moved Cugini’s into a larger premises next door and decided to open a cafe in the original property. Alfonso describes the offering as “modern-Australian cafe food” but I’d call it casual and elegant with a touch of Italian flair. The cafe is open for breakfast, brunch and lunch and while the menu is not overly long (a good thing in my book) it offers everything from housemade granola with coconut yoghurt ($15) to mushroom bruschetta ($18.50), handmade tagliatelle alla vodka ($28) and a crumbed pork cutlet with crispy pink eye potatoes ($30). While the wait staff move between the two venues, chef Jonathan Kincaid works exclusively at Riva Est – something of a homecoming as he started as an apprentice at Cugini’s many years ago.
“I couldn’t think of anyone better to run it,” says Alfonso.
The dining room is bustling and the waitstaff are friendly and efficient. Tables towards the back have views over the marina and the Kangaroo Bay Boardwalk, while those at the front are perfectly placed for people watching. I’m seated in the middle and have a birdseye view of the kitchen and a platter of freshly fried cannoli shells piled high on the pass.
My second dish is the daily special – handmade farfalle (commonly known as bowtie pasta) in duck broth ($15). This simple bowl of pasta and broth was outstanding – the clarified duck stock was full of flavour with nothing to get in the way. The pasta was dense and perfectly al dente and reminded me how much better fresh, handmade pasta is than dried (not that I am averse to lazy pasta at home). The bowl also included a handful of delicate enoki mushrooms, their strands separated as I stirred them in, and a mound of shredded silverbeet. It was pared back and I loved that nothing extraneous had been added – each ingredient spoke for itself. The broth was accompanied by another slice of sourdough, made in-house, with “a mother we’ve had for years in the coolroom,” says Alfonso.
Much as I’d love to sample more of the menu this morning, two brunches at once is my limit. I do, however, have just enough to room to squeeze in a couple of the sweet treats on display at the front counter. I opt for a classic cannoli filled with a very light, cheesecake-like filling with some candied citrus and a chewy, chocolate-drizzled Florentine thick with glace cherries (I am a huge fan of glace cherries, so this is a very good thing as far as I’m concerned).
It’s early days, but Riva Est is doing a lovely job of well executed brunches and lunches and I look forward to returning soon for a walk along the boardwalk and an elegant taste of Italy.