A space that was once home to Brisbane’s first organic restaurant Mondo Organics in West End’s Hardgrave Road is about to host the city’s only Sardinian restaurant.

“Pilloni”, meaning “bird” in Sardinian dialect, is the second venture for Valentina Vigni and Andrea Contin who also have La Lupa in West End, but the regional focus is something of a departure for the couple from the La Lupa menu, which focuses on more recognisable pan-Italian standards.

“Italian food is very regional,” Vigni says. “Different wherever you travel. And we wanted to take the opportunity to express that – to do something different from the usual cacio e pepe or pasta with ragu.” 

Italy’s second largest island, Sardinia, where Contin grew up, is famous for “su porcheddu”, a succulent, crisp-skinned suckling pig cooked over coals, and it is this that will be the star dish at Pilloni.

“It takes more than seven days to prepare,” says head chef Mimmo Miceli, who has worked in three Michelin-starred Quique Dacosta in Alicante and Le Calandre in Padua, among other restaurants of note. 

“We brine the pig for two or three days in salt, sugar and spices. Then it’s blanched a couple of times and aged for three-four days in the cool room before being cooked over the coals.”

The customer-facing ironbark-fuelled grill and spit will also be used for another Sardinian speciality, goat, as well as fish, lobster, lamb and seasonal specials of venison and wild boar.

Other dishes include Sardinian pastas such as malloreddus, the couscous-like fregola and culurgiones, a stuffed pasta filled with potato, pecorino and mint, as well as the island’s famous pane carasau, a thin crisp flatbread.

The wine list, has a strong Sardinian focus too. It feature varietals such as Carignano and Vermentino, while a snappy cocktail list includes a spritz made with a Sardinian Aspide Spritz and Torbato sparkling wine. 

Entry to the 97-seater venue from the street is through a bar with a snack menu, which leads to a dining area overlooking the kitchen, while to the side, a terrace, with waist-high bi-fold windows, Sardinian marble tiled floors, a cane ceiling and an eclectic collection of art finds on the walls, draws inspiration from the couple’s recent trip to Sardinian. 

“We wanted to create a homely, nonna-style dining room,” Vigni says. “And so this was inspired by all the wonderful casual places in Sardinia where they both grow and cook the food.”

Pilloni is slated to open on February 7.

Pilloni
66 Hardgrave Rd, West End
Wed – Sun, 5pm – 9:30pm
pilloni.com.au
@pilloni.restaurant

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