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Look what’s popped up: Besitos gives Bellissimo another string to its bow

What happens when an esteemed coffee roaster and beloved cafe identity sets its sights on nighttime trade? Something pretty magical, as it turns out.

Jul 29, 2022, updated Jul 29, 2022

Last week Bellissimo Coffee, one of the most-acclaimed roasters in the country, launched Besitos, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant concept that is popping up four nights a week inside its Bulimba locale. While the crew is naturally sprinkling some coffee-centric creativity across its after-dark drinks list, the Besitos is flush with flavoursome belly fillers that will have you wishing Bellissimo broke into the dinner scene years ago.

Having conquered Brisbane’s coffee scene and seductively swayed the local brunch crowd over the past decade, there was really only one new direction Mark Bignell and Michael Koo – co-owners of Bellissimo Coffee – could take their highly regarded roasting business. A foray into the realm of nighttime dining had been on the cards for the Bellissimo team ever since the crew started planning a refurbishment for its long-running Bulimba location, a multi-stage transformation that saw the interior and cafe offering substantially overhauled late last year.

Now, after a few extra months of menu tweaking, Bellissimo has officially launched Besitos, a pop-up restaurant that is transforming Bellissimo Bulimba into a relaxed Mediterranean-style eatery at night from Thursday to Sunday each week. The change comes at the perfect time – Besitos joins the likes of Mina ItalianMelroseRevel Brewing Co. and Il Molo in bringing a spark of after-dark energy to the river end of Oxford Street, which is fast becoming the area’s go-to district for dinner.

To facilitate the day-to-night transition and help differentiate the venue from its daytime persona, design firm Alkot Studio (the team responsible for Bellissimo’s earthy brick, timber, marble and leather makeover) has made some slight adjustments to the space, helping break it into intimate areas inside and out.

The biggest change, however, is evident on the menu. Executive chef Marco Torrisi and his kitchen team has relished the opportunity to break away from brunch and put their skills towards fashioning a menu that was not previously possible in a cafe setting. The kitchen has had a substantial upgrade in preparation of Besitos’ opening, with the majority of the menu now cooked over charcoal.

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Marco has taken cues from the Mediterranean region, while still championing local and native produce. Marco’s team is making pasta in-house each day and sourdough is baked and delivered fresh daily from Bellissimo’s Coorparoo headquarters.

Besitos’ menu kicks off with bar snacks and small plates – shareable nibbles include the likes of emu tartare with cured egg yolk, chives, caper mayo and a rice crisp, charred octopus with capsicum and olives, baccala croquette with lime mayo, burnt miso toothfish taco with yuzu mayo and chilli hair, and charred bone marrow with salsa verde, onion soubise and toasted brioche.

More substantial options are also available, with the likes of handmade long casarecce pasta with Canadian scallops and ‘nduja butter, chargrilled market fish with confit potato and asparagus, and 200-gram Angus sirloin with pickled shallots offering a hunger-busting pick.

Dessert hasn’t been overlooked, either – modern tiramisu with house-made espresso ice-cream and coffee syrup, and chargrilled pineapple with chocolate crumb, creme fraiche and basil-infused ice-cream are suitable sweet finishers. As is fitting for an award-winning coffee roaster, caffeine is a key element of some Besitos’ drinkables – just with a little more gusto (booze) than your normal caffeine hit.

Besitos’ after-dark offering features a cold-press coffee espresso martini with vodka and coffee liqueur, available alongside riffs on classic concoctions, eight kinds of Perfect Pairing cocktails, three share cocktailscraft beers and wines curated by Wineism’s Ian Trinkle.

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