Just weeks after announcing Pialligo Estate would make its return under new ownership, the location's Pavilion Restaurant has opened for bookings, with the first sitting on July 4.
What's more, it was announced on Thursday that hatted chef Stefano Mondonico was taking charge in the kitchen, after leaving Sydney restaurant Gowings. It was there he received his first Good Food Guide hat last year.
However, Mondonico also brings a world of culinary knowledge with him, having started his career at 15 in his family's restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, before getting his formal gastronomy training in Milan, Italy.
He has also worked alongside Michelin-starred chefs Sergio and Javier Torres at Ene and under the mentorship of Matt Moran at North Bondi Fish, as well as heading up popular Sydney venues, Seta Sydney and Gowings.
"Growing up in the family business gave me the best culinary education I could ask for," Mondonico says.
"There's nothing like the positive energy I get from cooking for guests- it keeps me going every day."
The chef has spent his Australian career using and respecting local ingredients - a passion he says he will bring to Pialligo Estate.
Mondonico said he was inspired by the country estate atmosphere that Pialligo is known for. However, the chef is also planning to bring ingredients from other parts of the country to round out a hearty offering for the first winter menu.
This includes Magra lamb from Oberon, NSW, Sydney rock oysters from the Pambula on the south coast, Snowy River trout and rare-breed Wollemi duck from the Hunter Valley region.
The restaurant's first menu, seen by The Canberra Times, features dishes including 450 gram wood-fired rainbow trout with Pialligo tomatoes and pickled root vegetables, a 180g eye fillet with blackberry jus and salted baked parsnip, and a seared kangaroo striploin, pepperberry mayo, hazelnut.
"What takes the menu at Pialligo Estate to the next level is the exceptional produce delivered by the partners we're working with," Mondonico says.
"We're sourcing from farming communities in the Canberra region, the Snowies, the South Coast and regional NSW. There's really no substitute for the flavour and quality these producers offer."
It was announced earlier this month that Pialligo Estate would reopen thanks to a collaboration between restaurateur Anthony Whitehouse and property tycoon, Tony Denny.
The venture will retain the property's name and be centred on the main dining space but promises to bring a whole new experience to the Canberra hospitality scene.
"We're so excited at the possibilities of what Stefano Mondonico will bring to the Pavilion Restaurant at Pialligo Estate. His deep respect for the produce is seen in his menu and we know Canberra will love it," Whitehouse says.
Along with the opening of the Pavillion Restaurant, Whitehouse is launching the events side of the business through his company Create Catering.
It is this side of the business that will cater for weddings, celebrations and corporate events in the range of event venues on the estate.
Create Catering has previously worked in other Canberra region venues like Olleyville at Shaw Wines, the Gundaroo Inn and as the former operator at the Australian War Memorial.
Each guest who dines in the opening week will receive a glass of Champagne Jacquart, a grand cru champagne, on the house.
The Pavillion Restaurant at Pialligo Estate will be open from July 4, Thursday to Saturday from 12pm to 3pm and 5pm to 9pm and Sundays from 11am to 4pm for brunches and long Sunday lunches.
