Grotta Capri, Kensington, Sydney

EDIT: Grotta Capri has now closed.

If you've been watching the second series of Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, you cannot have missed noticing the scenes featuring Robert "Aussie Bob" Trimbole in his favourite restaurant Grotta Capri.

I'd first noticed this restaurant when we'd dined at Sushi Tengoku, only a few doors up the road, but for many older Sydneysiders, it's one filled with memories having been a fixture on the dining scene for over 50 years.


The Grotta Capri exterior

Built in 1955, the restaurant is modelled on the famous La Grotto Azzurra, or Blue Grotto, on the island of Capri. In Italy, this sixty-metre long cavern is a huge tourist attraction, with an entrance so small that visitors must lie down flat in the narrow boats before straightening to admire the spectacular reflective blue waters inside.

In Australia, the Grotta Capri attracts visitors with an oyster shell-encrusted exterior that gives way to a twisting cave-like dining room, an underwater-style extravaganza that is resplendent with backlit aquariums, painted water scenes, stalactites festooned with fairy lights and giant clams, seahorses and yabbies overhead. Coloured lights cast an errie blue tinge and throughout the evening we're entertained by an eclectic soundtrack that includes Funkytown, YMCA, the Zorba, It's Raining Men and the theme from The Godfather.


Painted murals

It was here that Muriel noisily slurped the last of her Orgasm cocktail in Muriel's Wedding, in the scene where her so-called friends tell her they've secretly organised a trip to Hibiscus Island and that Muriel is embarrassing them and "needs to find friends on her own level". The restaurant has also played host to scenes from the movies Son of the Mask and The Night We Called It a Day as well as the television series Wildside and White Collar Blue.

It's hard not to be entranced by the over-the-top decor. I spend the first ten minutes quietly marvelling, exploring the cavernous nooks and crannies and examining the paraphernalia of alleged sea life encrusted into the ceiling.


The bar aquarium

I've managed to rustle together a large group of eleven to dinner tonight, two of whom subsequently remember coming here as children. There are a few nods to the mafia theme with dishes including the barramundi "Trimbole" (grilled barramundi slices rolled in radicchio leaves with bread crumbs, cheese and onion), the "Mobster" lobster mornay, the "Mob" seafood platter and the salmone "Al Capone" with capers and olives (ordered and pictured further down).


Garlic bread $3.50 per serve

We share appetisers of crusty garlic bread and bruschetta whilst we wait for everyone to arrive.


Traditional bruschetta $7 per serve

Entrees:


Cold seafood plate $19
Prawns, oysters and salmon with lemon and cocktail sauce


Antipasto $17
Selection of grilled vegetables, cured meats and cheese


Gamberi all'aglio $19
Sizzling prawns with garlic, chilli, tomato and white wine


Fegatini all Veneziana $26 (blackboard special)
Chicken liver with onion, nutmeg and white wine

I order the blackboard fegatini all Veneziana to share as an entree. The chicken livers are delicious, seared to a perfect just-cooked moistness. The generous serving means it's quite a rich dish, ideal for sharing but a bit heavy if consumed solely as a main, a point M regretfully discovers later when mains are served.



Mains:


Cannelloni ricotta $22
Homemade cannelloni filled with ricotta and spinach in tomato sauce


Risotto mare monti $24
Mixed seafood with seasoned vegetables in tomato and white wine

I'm often wary of restaurant risottos which are usually too soggy for my liking. The risotto mare monti is a surprise revelation, the grains still slightly al-dente, with a sauce that is hearty with the flavour of fish stock and seafood.


John Dory $34
Fillet with lemon butter white wine sauce


Complimentary vegetables for the table
Carrots, potato and broccoli


Rack of lamb $36 (blackboard special)
Grilled with artichokes, olives, wine wine and lemon juice

I've gone for halves in the rack of lamb which is a tad disappointing, the lamb lacking in crisp burnished skin and overall a touch over-seasoned with the already salty olives and artichokes.


Gnocchi al gorgonzola $23
Homemade potato pasta
with pine nuts, gorgonzola, parmesan cheese, white wine and cream


Spaghetti gamberetti $24
Sauted prawns, cherry tomatoes, chilli, garlic and napoli sauce


Scallopine parmigiana $25
Veal topped with eggplant, mozzarella and tomato


Salmone "al Capone" $27
Fresh salmon grilled fillet
with garlic, capers, shallots, olives, tomato and white wine


Spaghetti in nero $23 (blackboard special)
Spaghetti with fresh cuttlefish in chilli and black ink

I'm much more pleased with my other shared main, the spaghetti in nero. A fan of cuttlefish ink, I revel in its decadence and arresting hue. It's difficult to describe the flavour, but to me it tastes like a buttery version of the sea, a little briney and perhaps similar to the flavour of cooked crab organs (the bits you find under the main shell) and I mean that in a good way.

The restaurant isn't terribly busy on a Thursday night, although our waitress Antonella assures us that Fridays and Saturdays are strictly bookings only, the restaurant recently experiencing a surge of interest thanks to its continual apperance in scenes on Underbelly. With only a few tables left, we're all treated to complimentary glasses of limoncello, the lemon liqueur from the south of Italy that is seriously alcoholic.


Limoncello


Creme brulee $10

I find the creme brulee a little overcooked, the custard almost solid in texture beneath the thick veneer of caramelised toffee, but the strawberries with Grand Marnier is a generous serve and heavy with the alcohol.


Strawberries with Grand Marnier and icecream $15

Antonella, we soon disover, is the daughter of restaurant owner Robert, and as the restaurant empties, they both happily come to our table for a relaxed and friendly chat. Robert, who hails from Sicily, bought the abandoned restaurant two-and-a-half years ago, keen to restore this dusty icon to its former glory.

A hodgepodge of do-it-yourself decoration and plumbing, the restaurant is slowly aging. The fountains which used to cascade down the walls and over the bar stopped working a year ago, we're told, and whilst they are trying to re-instal them, finding a plumber who can work out how to get past the ornate panelling has been difficult. The floor fountains still work though, and at this point we all look down at our feet. The floor is marked with thick panes of perspex over channels that apparently gush with running water when turned on, an effect that is reserved for Friday and Saturday nights.

The rough textured ceilings and interior are also a pain. Every two weeks they get up on chairs and steam clean the ceiling, focussing on a different section each time in a scenario much like the Harbour Bridge: by the time they've finished the entire thing it's time to start cleaning at the beginning again.


An autographed photo of Roy Billing as Robert "Aussie Bob" Trimbole
in the Channel 9 series Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities

The use of the restaurant for scenes in Underbelly came about when the crew, who were shooting scenes at Randwick racecourse, scouted the local area and happened upon Grotta Capri. Filming took place on Mondays when the restaurant was closed, and whilst staff didn't get to play extras in any scenes, Antonella is visibly excited as she describes being on-set during filming: "I was around the corner in the scene where Bob is talking on the green telephone at the bar... it was so amazing but you have to be so quiet!"

She also gushes about Roy Billing, the actor who plays Robert Trimbole. "You would think he's stuck up but he's such a nice guy and he came in on his day off to give us this autographed photo!"

The photo takes pride of place in a perspex frame on the bar counter.

Grotta Capri.
Absolute kitsch. And gloriously so.

Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities continues on Channel 9 at 8.30pm tonight, conveniently airing after the launch episode of Masterchef Australia on Channel 10 at 7.30pm.




View Larger Map



Grotta Capri Italian and Seafood Restaurant
EDIT: Grotta Capri has now closed.
97-101 Anzac Parade
Kensington, NSW 2033
61 2 9662 7111


Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5.30pm
Closed on Mondays


BYO Sunday to Thursday only
Live music and karaoke from 10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays

Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Kensington - Sushi Tengoku (Japanese)
Kingsford - Ayam Goreng 99 (Indonesian)