Batica is the new restaurant bringing a distinctly Australian flavour to The Westin Brisbane
Two Italian chefs are letting Australian produce do the talking at Batica, The Westin Brisbane’s brand-new signature restaurant. Inspired by the idea of a sabbatical, Batica champions relaxed dining, thoughtful cooking and a menu that balances the familiar with the unexpected. Take a look inside …
Establishing a restaurant in a hotel is a different process from setting up a restaurant outside of one. For one, there are more stakeholders involved – more people are a part of the process, from concept ideation and branding to aesthetics and menu design.
That said, a restaurant is only as strong as its chef, so when the team at The Westin Brisbane initiated a revamp of its level one restaurant – previously Guy Grossi’s Amalfi-inspired Settimo – the first step was ensuring there was a chef at the helm who could translate the broader themes into a menu that resonated with diners.
Enter Massimo Speroni, former head chef of Bacchus, who has been in the role of The Westin Brisbane’s executive chef since January. When the decision was made to pivot the direction of the hotel’s signature restaurant, Massimo was one of the first people to be involved.
“It was actually myself, Manuele and the management team, all together, deciding which direction to go,” Massimo reveals.
Collaboratively, The Westin Brisbane’s brains trust honed in on a theme inspired by the concept of a sabbatical, a period of pause and reconnection. Held aloft by three key pillars – rest, refreshment and nourishment – the restaurant would strip back artifice in favour of honest cooking, serving fare that celebrated locality, simplicity and balance via a classic-contemporary culinary approach.
And thus, Batica was born.
Massimo, alongside head chef Manuele Erriu, has devised a menu that blends traditional techniques and showcases a number of the country’s best growers, producers and artisans. Though both Italian-born chefs with years of experience cooking the cuisine of their homeland, Massimo and Manuele opted to broaden the menu’s scope to better showcase Australia’s native bounty.
“We are both Italian but we said we didn’t want to be Italian,” says Massimo. “We wanted freedom – Australia offers a lot of different cultures and products, so why stick with one traditional cuisine?”
Together, the chefs engaged a number of suppliers to stock their larder with top-tier ingredients from the likes of Rocky Point Aquaculture, Stockyard Beef, Great Southern Pinnacle, Saison Salumi and Emu Heaven. Native Australian produce has also been sourced, with muntries, wattleseed, finger lime and saltbush on hand.
From there, the duo has built up a menu of familiar plates and more experimental dishes, settling on a ratio designed to make Batica approachable to all comers, while also making it a worthy dinner booking for adventurous foodies.
“Manuele and I always say we must have 70 percent of the items on the menu that people are comfortable with and maybe 30 percent are things that are out of the box or different,” says Massimo.
“From our grill section we have sirloin and a fillet – they’re something everyone knows, so they are comfortable with them, but we also have an emu tartare with saltbush, muntries and wattleseed.”
Subscribe for updatesBatica’s menu kicks off with starters like beetroots with spiced vinegar, goats curd, sunflower seeds and green cardamom puree, Rocky Point cobia sashimi with herb ceviche, creme acidulee, seaweed and finger lime, and chicken liver pate with Lilly Pilly gin, pickled peppers and toasted brioche.
From there, portions increase with mains of buffalo and cow’s milk ricotta ravioli with spinach, butter and sage, potato gnocchi with mussels, raw ama ebi prawn, crustacean bisque, tarragon and samphire, and White Pyrenees lamb rump with charred leeks, sumac and coffee jus. From the grill comes a selection of succulent steaks.
Dessert lovers are encouraged to save room for Batica’s signature sweet – a pull-apart cake served warm with a bowl of Marsala zabaglione for dipping.
Batica’s beverage list has been tweaked, with a shift in focus for the wine list that moves away from Settimo’s Italian lean, served alongside a clutch of ingredient-led cocktails that make great use of spirits sourced from independent Australian distillers.
“Settimo was an Italian restaurant, so it poured mostly Italian wine – for Batica it’s now the opposite,” says Massimo. “We source straight from local producers as much as we can, so the list is mostly Australian with a small portion of Italian and French.”
To better align with The Westin Brisbane’s commitment to wellbeing (and its mantra of ‘Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well’), non-alcoholic drinks and pairing options are a big focus – we’re talking creative Australian-inspired mocktails and some spot-on non-alc wines.
Though still early days, Batica seems to be making good on its restful and nourishing directive. Of similar importance, Massimo and Manuele have done a great job repositioning the restaurant, instilling a sense of newness and appeal that expands beyond the operational mandates of the hotel at large.
“We don’t call Batica a hotel restaurant – we are a restaurant inside a hotel,” says Massimo. “We want to be open to everyone.”
Batica is now open to the public – click here to view operating hours and booking details in The Directory.
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