First look: Podilato Restaurant opens at the new Mantra MacArthur hotel in Turner

Bicicletta restaurant has been pedalling along serving up Italian food for nearly seven years, except for a brief rebuild after the New Acton fire. And now it has a sister restaurant in Podilato, which has just opened in the foyer of the new Mantra MacArthur.

While construction is still going on at the development which shares the same block, the new hotel, on the corner of Northbourne and MacArthur Avenues, is well and truly open.

Open to the public, Podilato is on the first floor of the hotel, in a large, light-filled space with dark, modern furnishings and a bunch of potted herbs soaking up the sun down one end. A balcony also offers outdoor dining, which will be a nicer option once the construction finishes up.

Head chef Sean Mawbey, formerly of La Cantina in Narrabundah, has created a menu of mediterranean tapas and share plates, with a strong Greek influence.

Podilato is open for breakfast, coffee and snacks during the day, then a tapas menu from 3-10pm, and dinner 6-9.30pm.

Given it services a hotel, there is a continental breakfast buffet, but there is also an a la carte menu with plenty of mediterranean flavour, from the chicken and chorizo crepe to the Turkish serrano with prosciutto, feta cheese, poached eggs and olive pesto on Turkish bread.

Tapas dishes include dips, antipasto, paella balls, beetroot carpaccio and grilled octopus to name a few. Notably, the tapas menu is almost half made up of vegetarian dishes, and the menu as a whole is predominantly gluten free.

Mains have more of a meat focus. If you only have time for one thing, the favourite so far has been the plate of mini gyros - succulent lamb shoulder, tomato, red onion and sweet potato chips are wrapped in a pita and drizzled with Mawbey's special garlic sauce (which while being full of flavour, he says won't give you garlic breath afterwards).

For groups (minimum two) there are also two banquet options ($45 per person for six plates or $55 per person for eight plates).

The drinks list is quite interesting, and is almost completely Greek and Spanish wines, and there are also plenty of Greek drops on the beer list. The plan is to add some Canberra district wines as specials.

Podilato Restaurant, Mantra MacArthur Hotel, 219 Northbourne Avenue Turner. Open Monday to Saturday for breakfast and dinner, and Sunday and public holidays for breakfast only.