As Lennon and McCartney wrote: ‘There are places I’ll remember all my life’. And Lucio’s Italian Restaurant in Paddington is exactly that for generations of Sydneysiders. While Sydney is blessed with much good food, wine and service, much rarer is the authentic hospitality (in rooms full of colour, laughter and creative energy) that transforms a good meal into a memorable experience.
Perhaps that’s why, of the many restaurants I’ve loved, I recall more specific occasions at Lucio’s Italian Restaurant than anywhere else. Special birthdays, celebrating my first cookbook, the beginning of a journey, and the end of another, toying with a glass of wine and bowl of pasta while awaiting life-changing news – Lucio’s Italian Restaurant has been my go-to place for celebrations, commiserations, confessions and comfort, and especially for long Friday lunches when I just wanted to feel great! At the end of January 2021, after 38 years in that distinctive Paddington terrace on the corner of Elizabeth and Windsor Streets, Sally and Lucio Galletto served their final guests. Today’s Lucio and Sally’s legacy of hospitality lives on at Lucio’s Marina, owned by their son Matteo – who many will remember working alongside his father Lucio’s Italian Restaurant. Here are five of the things I’ll remember all my life about one of Sydney’s greatest restaurants. See the video of Lucio and me below and note Joshua McPherson’s vine of tomatoes painting (which I bought at the auction of artwork when Lucio’s Italian Restaurant closed).
Hospitality: Seasonal Bruschetta & Sbagliato
Every meal at Lucio’s Italian Restaurant started with complimentary bruschetta, crisp bread rolls and olives. In season there was blood orange or pink grapefruit for your negroni or sbagliato. And when truffle season rolled around, they were always generously grated. Every request was met with grace and everyone left feeling like family – that’s what true hospitality is all about.
Gueridon: Salt-Baked Whole Fish & Pesto Prepared Tableside
The staff at Lucio’s Italian Restaurant were skilled in the rare art of gueridon, or tableside service. Whether it was Lucio himself deftly filleting a whole salt-baked fish tableside, or a waiter skilfully pounding fresh basil and pine nuts in the traditional marble mortar to make pesto, the theatre of gueridon created a real sense of occasion.
Private Dining Room: Best Birthday Party Ever!
My favourite birthday party ever was one I threw for myself in Lucio’s gorgeous front room. That private dining room, with dramatic works of art lining the walls and dotting the beautifully-set candlelit table, has been the venue for so many special dinners. It’s a space that felt simultaneously refined and relaxed, where food and wine flowed without fanfare and the company and occasion are what’s remembered.
Art: Tim Storrier’s Burning Rope & Garry Shead’s Mosaic
It started when Lucio framed a doodle by Sidney Nolan on the back of a docket and grew into an extraordinary collection of Australian art covering every wall and surface. I especially love Tim Storrier’s burning rope, Garry Shead’s portrait of Lucio that hung on the back wall (both pictured above), and his beautiful mosaic that graced the entrance of Lucio’s Italian Restaurant.
Innovation: Vespa-Delivered Fine Dining & Thirsty Horse Wine Bar
Lucio has always said: ‘We follow the season not the fashion’. Perhaps it was that clear and concise mission that enabled Lucio’s Italian Restaurant to pivot so quickly and elegantly when Covid-19 hit. Suit-clad waiters started delivering iconic dishes by Vespa to hungry Paddington locals and that beautiful front room became The Thirsty Horse wine bar and deli.
