By Trevor Pepys (and friend) reviews Lucio’s Marina
Since it opened late last year, Lucio’s Marina has been getting rave reviews, in spite of being plagued by staff shortages (like so many high-end venues) over the holiday period, but Trev only managed to get there after Invasion Day, when the hectic season had started to wane.
It was immediately apparent that the raves were justified, and we’ll get to that soon, but first a bit of history. You might have read about Lucio’s pedigree in these pages last September when a hack reporter for this paper who annoyingly and ignorantly transgresses onto Trev’s foodie turf from time to time, announced that the Lucio’s brand, honed over 40 years in inner Sydney, was moving to Noosa. Many of his facts were wrong, which is what you get when you hire cheap, but he did establish that, the Sydney restaurant having closed its doors in 2020, the children of the esteemed Lucio Galletta, Matteo and Michela (and Matteo’s wife Dieuwke) were keeping the brand alive with a modern, seafood-oriented version on the Noosa Marina.
Now Trev, on his many sojourns south over the years, had made quite a habit of lunching at Lucio’s, not just for the delicious home-cooked flavours but for the ambience created by the Gallettas’ cosy, art-filled space and the larger than life personality of mine host. So having finally sampled Noosa’s own Lucio’s, he was about to sit down and write his critique when an interstate visitor insisted on a beer or two at the surf club. “I have to tell you about where we ate last night,” gushed the excitable fellow.
As it turns out, this chap was a long-time habitué of Sydney’s Lucio’s, as had been his father before him, a sometime lunching buddy of Trev’s. So excited was he about his experience at Lucio’s Marina that he not only told Trev about it, he then flicked him a written account, pleading that it be published. Trev shares food but not column space as a rule, however this was a special circumstance. This, in part, is what our southern friend had to say:
“I went to the restaurant with four friends and obviously had high hopes, given we really enjoyed the Sydney version. The setting is bright and takes good advantage of the location. It has elements of the past but is definitely a new and different offering. We opened with a round of cocktails because that’s what you do in modern Australia. My raspberry gimlet was delicious and others had a gin based, pineapple concoction that was also very well received. We all shared small plate entrees, which were all enjoyed. We tried the crudo, which was light and fresh, burrata with San Danielle prosciutto and mortadella, and ciabatta with tomato butter which was a real winner. The gamberoni from the mains section offered prawns grilled and split which seemed too hard to resist, and they were a highlight – sweet, lightly seasoned and buttery.
“Mains for all were pasta and it was nice to see the green noodles with spanner crab had made its way north to the new restaurant. This was a crowd pleaser as always. We also had the Moreton Bay bug ravioli with foie gras, which was very tasty but probably not for those who don’t like dill. The spaghetti alla caprese was the showstopper. It was delicate, simple and delicious. There was not an unhappy diner at our table.
“Lucio’s Marina is not Lucio’s. That is all for the better. As a nod to its origins, but with a fresh and clean look, I expect it will garner a whole new legion of fans.”
Well said, young man. Trev couldn’t have put it much better, although he will now try.
We were a thirsty three, and although the wine list veers towards the expensive, we were delighted to find the Karman Rioja Rosé ($50), which slid down the throat happily all night. Lucio’s Sydney always had the best bread, so we munched on an Italian ciabatta with tomato compound butter ($10) while we made our selections.
We started with six Tasmanian Pacific Oysters with cucumber citrus dressing ($5 each),
Pickled black lip mussels, cherry tomatoes and burnt cucumber and white gazpacho ($19),
and the Fritto Misto ($25) of calamari, school prawns, whitebait with bergamot aioli.
Moving to pasta, we shared the Spaghetti ai ricci di mare ($35) tossed with sea urchin cream, salmon roe and pangrattato, and the Ravioli mare e monti ($55) with Moreton Bay bug, foie gras and saffron (see above), with an Insalata verde ($15) of baby cos on the side.
The verdict: The ravioli was a bit rich for Trev’s taste, and we could have done with more mussels and less gazpacho, but overall this was a fabulous dining experience. Matteo and Michela are busy charmers front of house, and head chef Alejandro Soto is keeping the Lucio spirit alive in the kitchen.
Lucio’s Marina, Noosa Marina, Parkyn Court, Tewantin. Phone 5470 2331.