There’s a new place to break bread in Sydney and it’s definitely not one for the carb conscious. Grana, which translates to grain in Italian, brings fresh bread and house-made pasta to the historic Hinchcliff House in Circular Quay.

The heritage-listed sandstone building dates back to the 1860s and is one of Sydney’s last remaining wool stores. The first venue to open within the four-level site is Grana, an all-day diner and bakery on the ground floor.

Rather than use bleached or heavily processed flours, Grana mills its own flour on-site using a variety of locally-sourced heritage grains like spelt, emmer, and khorasan. The grains are pulverised in an Osttiroler stone mill, which takes pride of place in the adjacent Grana Bakery.

This dedication to the grain allows the onsite bakers and chefs to exert greater control over the flour, and enables them to produce breads, pastries and pasta with a distinctive taste, texture and character, not to mention, a higher nutritional value.

Heading up the kitchen is culinary director Stephen Seckold (formerly of Flying Fish) who has put together an Italian-inspired menu, with a variety of grains scattered throughout.

You won’t find fresher bread than the house sourdough, which is served with a luscious macadamia butter that perfectly complements the bread’s earthy, nutty notes. Or, there’s the house focaccia, a wonderfully rustic flatbread packed with real wheat flavour and filled with stretchy cows milk curds, like a classy grilled cheese sandwich, of sorts.

Don’t pass on the pasta. The menu includes mafaldine, the frilly long ribbons brought to life with a spicy ‘nduja sauce, or there’s the rigati, a ridged pasta made from semolina, which is topped with a warming lamb shoulder ragu.

Not a crumb goes to waste. Yesterday’s loaves are turned into crostini for the smoked raw beef with egg yolk dressing, or pangrattato, which is sprinkled over spicy citrus pipis and mussels.

The carb loading continues with desserts. Our pick is the housemade cannoli pumped with a spectacular strawberry gum ricotta, or try one of the impressive patisserie treats, which include a lemon meringue tart finished with ribbons of palate-cleansing persimmon.

The cocktail menu features a unique blend of Australian and Italian influences, with tipples like the lemon myrtle limoncello and wattle espresso martini. They also make all their own sodas in-house.

Melbourne design studio Mitchell Eades Design has given the heritage-listed building a lift, with stone benchtops illuminated with mother of pearl and sleek uplighting, which illuminates the building’s unique heritage features while creating a sense of warmth and comfort.

Hinchcliff House will eventually be home to four venues, including an underground drinking den called Apollonia in the basement, a restaurant called Lana on level one, and a private event space on level three.

Grana
Hinchcliff House, 5-7 Young Street, Circular Quay
Monday – Saturday from 6:30am – 11pm
grana.sydney
@grana.sydney