A new Sicilian restaurant is opening in a Cardiff suburb and it plans to serve a different style of Italian cooking to other restaurants in the city.
Siciliarte will officially open on Thursday, February 17, in Llandaff on the former site of Caffé Fragolino.
Francesco Furci, is the person behind both businesses. Originally from Messina in the north east of Sicily, he moved to Cardiff 20 years ago and has worked in Italian restaurants across the city including Positano, Carluccio’s and Mediterraneo.
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In 2018, Francesco opened Caffé Fragolino, a Welsh-Italian coffee shop and restaurant. However, as a result of the pandemic, Francesco decided it was time for a fresh start for the business.
“To be honest, I've lived in Cardiff for 20 years and I don't like going to Italian restaurants because the food is all the same and it's boring. I'm from Sicily so my project was to do authentic Sicilian food," said Francesco.
“People can come here and eat the same food they would get if they went to Italy. My drink is going to be from Sicily, my cheese is going to be from Sicily and most of the produce is going to be from Sicily. Obviously, I can't buy the fish from Sicily!”
Traditional Sicilian dishes on the menu include arancini (rice balls), made with beef, tomatoes, saffron and peas; panelle (chickpea flour fritters), a popular street food dish; freshly made cannoli; lasagne, made with egg, pork and peas; and pasta alla norma, made with aubergine and ricotta.
“Sicily is famous because each region has different food like the UK. There's going to be lots of anchovies, olives, swordfish, aubergine, ricotta and pecorino. Those are the main ingredients of Sicily.
“When I was younger, I worked in different kinds of restaurants in Sicily, so I've taken a bit of everything I've learnt.
"It's not going to be a big menu; there's only going to be six or seven starters and six or seven main courses, all cooked fresh.”
The restaurant's name, Siciliarte, combines the Italian words for Sicily and art. It sums up Francesco’s creative approach to Sicilian cooking and it’s a theme which continues through into the decor, with its tiled map of Sicily, and even the crockery.
“My sister sent me all of the plates, all of the dishes and all of the glasses from Sicily,” said Francesco.
Open from Tuesday to Saturday from 12 till 3pm and 6pm till close, Francesco hopes Siciliarte will be a welcoming place where people can relax.
“It's not going to be a formal restaurant, the manager is friendly, he's amazing. People from Sicily, to be honest, are much friendlier than people from the north of Italy!”
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