Gianni Guglielmin with his new eponymous restaurant in Belconnen. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Gianni Guglielmin is a hospitality stalwart.
He’s spent 15 years as the owner and enigmatic host of Briscola in the city, but he’s now branched out to Belconnen, something that his regulars have been asking him to do for years. The result is Gianni’s: a restaurant that encompasses the best of Briscola and adds a little more.
When I was growing up in Canberra, this part of Belconnen wasn’t particularly attractive. There was the old bus interchange, the library and the Labor Club, with a whole lot of concrete in between.
But nowadays there are tall apartment buildings, student housing, hotels and a more lived-in feel to the area. Gianni’s prominent location on the corner immediately draws the eye and there were plenty of people walking by and getting excited about the new restaurant.
A starter of rosemary and sage pizza bread was enough to get us keen to come back for a proper pizza. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
I visited Gianni’s for dinner with a friend during its soft launch. Restaurants often host a soft launch for family and friends to settle into their systems and sort out any kinks with a friendly audience as well as provide media with an early look at what’s on offer.
When we arrived the place was already buzzing. There’s an attractive nook with couches and a gas fireplace which I’m sure will be popular in winter. The restaurant stretches beyond with views to the open kitchen.
Carpeted flooring kept the acoustics down to the manageable hum, rather than the cacophony one might expect with this many diners in place.
Our waiter took us through the menu, which is broadly similar to Briscola’s with a few new dishes and tweaks.
The section of mains departs most significantly, with a pork saltimbocca and chicken with vodka sauce added to the menu. Otherwise diners can expect similar excellent pasta and pizza options.
We decided to share the linguine di mare (seafood pasta) and the saltimbocca di maiale (pork medallions).
I’m impressed by the lengthy section detailing how dietary requirements can be catered for, including the ingredients of the gluten-free pasta, options for no onion or garlic and vegan or vegetarian offerings.
We also started with a sage and rosemary pizza bread which arrived promptly at the table. This oven-baked mini-pizza was our bite-sized taste of the pizzas we saw arriving on other tables. Chewy, soft dough with a lovely charred crust: the base is perfect and the olive oil and salt carried the herbs with aplomb.
There’s a long drinks list with options like highball, vermouth and spritz aperitivo, classic and signature cocktails, digestifs, plenty of beer and cider and a solid selection of local and Italian wines. My friend chose an Italian Sangiovese and I opted for a local Pinot Noir. There are also mocktails and Italian sodas as non-alcoholic options.
The linguine can be served with either an olive oil or tomato base, which we chose. Mussels on the half shell are arranged on the side of the plate, prawns and scallops round out the seafood offering. The sauce has a nice kick of spice which pairs nicely with the seafood.
Saltimbocca is a dish made with pork medallions pounded thin, lightly floured and pan fried, served with a white wine reduction. At Gianni’s this dish also comes with roast potatoes and green beans. The meat is lovely and tender and the sauce is well balanced too.
A hefty slab of tiramisu is always a winner for dessert, but the locally churned gelato is very good too. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
For dessert, we are surprised by the addition of a gelato bar attached to the restaurant. Gianni’s gelato has a separate hole-in-the-wall entrance, or you can order gelato to your table. The gelato is locally made in Queanbeyan (by an Italian, we are reliably informed) and you can also enjoy it served Sicilian-style: sandwiched in brioche bun.
I have three scoops in a bowl: caramelised fig, pistachio and stracciatella. While stracciatella is also the name of a creamy Italian cheese, when it comes to gelato stracciatella is a kind of chocolate chip vibe. Each flavour of gelato is absolutely divine.
My friend enjoys the tiramisu, which is as excellent as anticipated (considering Briscola has been making a great one for a long time) and I jump in to help finish the huge slab.
Leaving Gianni’s there’s a queue forming for gelato and the restaurant is still buzzing. This corner of Belconnen needed something and Gianni’s is the answer.
Gianni’s is at 1/59 Cameron Avenue, Belconnen. It’s open from 11:30 am seven days a week, closing at 8:30 pm Sunday to Thursday and at 9 pm Friday and Saturday. Follow Gianni’s on Facebook or Instagram.
