Dell'Ugo to open at Trattoria

Dell'Ugo Restaurant at South Bank is adding a trattoria to its venue.

Work is about to start on what co-owner Yannis Passaris says will be 'Little Italy Laneway'- created in the front of the restaurant. Dell'Ugo, which has entrances on both Little Stanley and Grey Streets was one of the first restaurants in the redeveloped precinct, opening in 2004.

While the existing restaurant will stay as is, the new trattoria section will be a more casual affair, Passaris says.

"It will be based on rustic Italian street food. There will be clipboard menus, wines offered by the carafe and a blackboard of specials. And all meals will be priced at an affordable $18. We're trying to emulate that casual feeling of being in Italy-people can come in for a good value bowl of pasta or choose to just sit and have a coffee and a slab of tiramisu."

There are about ten offerings on the menu, from an 'Italian sandwich of the day' to a salumi plate with buffalo mozzarella and olives and a couple of pasta dishes like linguine with prawns, tomato, zucchini, garlic and chilli or 'paccheri' with pork and fennel sausage and veal shoulder ragu. A simple house white and house red will be on pour (at a bargain $7 per glass/$25 per carafe) as well as Peroni beer.

The trattoria will be open from 11.30 through to 5.30 for food, dessert and coffee, then in the evenings for cheese and wine, dessert and coffee, Passaris says. Work will begin in two weeks with an opening date pencilled in for late September.