OTHER RESTAURANTS

The Star
Retail Arcade, 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont NSW 2009
Reservations:  Direct :  +61 2  9657 9129  or  The Star : 1800 700 700
http://Star.com.au/dine/signature-dining/balla.html

Osteria Balla, the new Manfredi restaurant at The Star opened its doors September 2011 , signalling the return of Stefano Manfredi and Julie Manfredi Hughes to the Sydney dining scene.

“The restaurant really brought a little piece of Milan to The Star. “Balla was a true adventure of Italian food, wine and design,” said Stefano Manfredi.

“With  Osteria Balla, said Julie Manfredi Hughes, we fashioned  the concept in the style of the new wave of modern Italian osteria, and set out to achieve a contemporary restaurant – to find a newness that fit with the times, a dining room which offered both conviviality and sophistication, but that was also fresh and fun.”

With the Manfredi mantra at work ; ‘The flavour of Italy from the fresh produce of Australia’, the menu was positioned on the traditional and classic dishes , revised through a modern lens, where authentic traditions are revitalised and reimagined in a contemporary context.

A  dynamic young team  of professionals was assembled with Chef Gabriele Taddeucchi selected to head the kitchen.

Named after the futurist poet and painter Giacomo Balla,  endorsed with The Manfredi signature , Balla’s  striking concept and interior design was realised  by Luigi Rosselli Architects with the visual  brand identity  by Frost* collective. Giacomo Balla was a founding member of the Italian Futurist art movement, of which Milan was a major centre in the early 20th century. Manfredi commissioned Dante Marioni studio-blown glass lights from Seattle, and  worked with local artisans like  Lino Alvarez from his La Paloma studio in Hill End to create the  dinner ware . Brian Hirst provided the hand blown, glass wine decanters and Manfredi’s own ceramics company, Ceramica Di Manfredi, added pieces to its range specifically designed to Balla’s specifications.

Over the years, Osteria Balla Manfredi won many awards including one chef’s hat at the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and two glasses at the Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide in 2015. Osteria Balla Manfredi was also recognised for having one of Australia’s greatest wine collections receiving a successive  three goblet rating from the Gourmet Traveller Wine List of the Year.

Photography by Anson Smart / Yellow Trace by Luigi Rosselli