WhenyouranAcme,youdescribedit
as#notanitalianrestaurantandthepasta
wasinspiredbyChinatown.WillCiccia
Bella’smenuhaveAsianinfluences,too?
CicciaBellawillcertainlybeanItalian
restaurant.I’llbetakingalotofinspiration
fromsouthernItalyandthosebeachside
vibes.Wewanttokeepthefoodlightand
singing,rememberingthatwe’reinBondi
andhavelotsofloyalregularstokeep
happy.IfIdosneakalittledashiinhere
andthere,wewon’tbeadvertisingit.
WhatwillbeonCicciaBella’smenu?I’ve
gotaspreadsheetofabout 100 ideasforthe
menu.I’mplayingwithturningAcme’s
baloneysandwichintoafriedcalzone.
Andwe’dliketoutilisethewoodfired
ovenmoreandhavefunwiththepizza.
Isthereanythingyoufindchallengingto
cook,andwouldliketoconqueroneday?
Ihatepastry,butI’malsolazy,soIwouldn’t
sayI’mdyingtoconquerit.HavingJaci
Koludrovictoworkonthedessertoerings
isanabsoluteblessing.Ican’twaitto
sitdownandbrainstormideaswithher.
JatzcrackerswereafixtureatAcme.
WilltheyappearontheCicciaBella
menu?Ithinkwe’lllettheJatzlegacy
staywithAcme.
You’renowworkingwithIcebergs
DiningRoom&Bar’sexecutivechef
MontyKoludrovic.Haveyoueverserved
himJatz?Yes,ImadeJatzàlaIcebergs
ataneventyearsago.Itwasaplayon
Monty’sseaurchinpappadums.
Besidescreamincarbonara,isthere
anythingthatshouldn’tgoinapasta
dish?Inmyhonestopinion,cream
shouldnevergoinanypasta.
CicciaBella,75-79HallSt,Bondi,NSW,
(02) 8090 6969,cicciabella.com.au,is
duetoopeninSeptember.
Mitch Orr
CICCIABELLA,SYDNEY
ONTHEPASS
The Splendid Gin’s Mesmeric is made
from an elegant mix of quadruple-
distilled grape spirit and Tasmanian
spring water. The result is a literal
winner: it scored a gold medal in
the Navy Strength category at
The Asian Gin Masters this year.
thesplendidgin.com
STREET STAR
Martha Cooper photographed New York’s
grati scene in the ’70s and ’80s – along
train tracks, in tunnels and long before it
was taken seriously. Over the next two
decades, her art book with photographer
Henry Chalfant, Subway Art, became an
underground bible for grati artists around
the world, as they recreated what they
saw in their own towns. Today, the
76-year-old photographer still follows grati
artists, camera in hand. Don’t miss her
Street Shots 1978-2019 exhibition, on show
at Brisbane Powerhouse until 22 September,
and look out for Martha: A Picture Story,
Selina Miles’s award-winning documentary
about Cooper’s life. brisbanepowerhouse.org
24 GOURMET TRAVELLER
PHOTOGRAPHY DAN BRIZNAC GRAN TIVOLI, MARTHA COOPER
STREET SHOTS 19782019
& NIKKI TO MITCH ORR.