Foodies, start your engines: reservations for Lunetta are now open

Posted on 25 October, 2024

In April of this year, we broke the news that the creative team behind the visually stunning Bookplate and Pollen would be opening two new restaurants: Lunetta and Lunetta Trattoria. 

Well, now we can confirm that reservations are now open from Friday 1 November.

Taking over the mid-century modernist icon 60 Red Hill Drive (otherwise known as the space-age-looking building at the top of Red Hill), the famously striking landmark, will reopen as two new restaurants — Lunetta an elevated restaurant occupying the first floor, and Lunetta Trattoria a relaxed neighbourhood bar located on the ground floor

Opening Friday 1 November, Lunetta will seat 82 people and offers a semi-private dining space for up to 10 guests. It will also be available for exclusive restaurant book-outs, offering a fully seated dining experience.

Opening Wednesday 6 November, Lunetta Trattoria seats 84 — offering both inside and outside dining.

And in some exciting news, we also know what’s on the menus.

A little bit of investigative journalism has revealed that those dining at Lunetta Trattoria can start with antipasti complete with burrata and ortiz anchovies before moving onto Spuntini including Pumpkin Arancini and Gnocco Fritto, pasta (including woodfire baked lumache alla vodka and cuttlefish ink linguine), and some drool worthy options for Secondi. An example? Half Woofired Beer Brinded Chicken and a 1kg Bistecca Alla Fiorentina.

Lunetta offers a more considered Italian-inspired menu, with a drool worthy ravioli with roasted garlic honey butter, potato, pecorino, and ricotta, Tathra Duck with morcilla, beetroot, currents, radicchio, and hazelnut and Bundarra Farm Pork Belly  Porchetta with fiolaro di creazzo, burnt onion, black garlic.

For both restaurants the dessert menu varies, with Lunetta tantalising tastebuds with a Parsley Sorbet with pear, honeycomb and meringue and Lunetta Trattoria staying to the classics. Think: Tiramisu, and a chocolate chip rye cookie vanilla ice cream sandwich.

Wine lists too have been carefully assembled to reflect the style and ambiance of both venues with Lunetta offering an extensive list covering all global regions while the Trattoria will focus more on a small rotating list leaning towards Italian wines that are reflective of their region.

Re-imagined by leading Sydney architecture studio ACME the new iteration for the much-loved Red Hill site honours both the original form of Miles Jakl’s futuristic restaurant and a distinctive layer of modernist expression later incorporated by renowned Italian born architect Enrico Taglietti.

Taking the venues heritage into consideration, ACME has introduced interior decisions that pay homage to Taglietti while expertly incorporating design cues that speak to the surrounding Red Hill setting.

Below Lunetta Trattoria is anchored by warm, grounding tones that reinforce its connection to the earth, while above, Lunetta embraces the sky, with the elevation providing an immersive space among the treetops.

With reservations now open, this might just be the hottest new opening of the season.

Photography: Lillie Thompson.