Hotel group Merivale announces December launch for new Royal Bondi Hotel restaurant ‘Totti’s’ by Dirty Italian Disco’s Mike Eggert and chef Khan Danis. Drinks by Sam Egerton.
The Eastern suburbs’ 1907 stalwart reopened its front bar in September and is now backing that up with a casual restaurant, dubbed Totti’s.
The new approach is launching under the guidance of Mike Eggert, the man behind Dirty Italian Disco pop-up at The Tennyson in Sydney’s Mascot, another hotel in the Merivale group. Ably collaborating with chef Khan Danis, the duo’s concept will serve up wood-fired meats, hand-crafted pastas and classic Italian cocktails in a relaxed, 185-seater restaurant and courtyard.
Eggert notes that the bread will set the scene for the rest of the food.
“It’s visual, aromatic and very hands on. We want it to feel really communal, where people see a table full of little plates and fresh, steaming bread, and immediately want to tuck in and have fun”.
The sharing menu reportedly aims to be fast, easy and suited to all ages. There’s bread cooked to order from the wood-fired oven along with small plates of local and house-made charcuterie (mortadella, prosciutto, salami), Italian cheeses (burrata, stracciatella, mozzarella and provolone) and seasonal fruits, including tomatoes, figs and melon.
The venue is promising five-to-six pastas available daily with fresh pastas including meat, seafood and vegetarian and vegan options. Danis plans to put his Josper charcoal oven to good use, with house-made sausages set to feature alongside a range of sides like Italian-style congi rice, polenta and salads with stone fruit and fresh tomatoes. Desserts will stick to the Italian classics such as tiramisu, sorbet and a Neapolitan icecream sandwich.
The drinks list has been created by Sam Egerton, focusing on retro Italian-inspired crowd-pleasers, plus over 50 wines, with a focus on small boutique wineries and organic drops with an Italian twist.
The space has been inspired by a Mediterranean taverna, with old timber chairs and pared-back walls. Outside in the courtyard, the space is dominated by large olive trees.