Tutta Superbo Sardo!
Imagine being teleported on a luscious summer holiday, enthuses Helen Flanagan, where Sardinia stars on the plate and in the glass.
Since Sardo Noosa opened its doors, diners have been propped on comfortable chairs with red and white cushions, the sun is bright, the view over to the Noosa River just as striking, and a glass of Sardinian Vermentino is simply superbo.
It is poured by effusive co-owner Danny Isaac, a fascinating and knowledgeable storyteller. His partner Stefano Rassu has been working in hospitality since he was 10 years old… yes that’s correct, all thanks to his family who’d been operating hotels and restaurants for many years in various Sardinian towns. His ultimate passion was to open a restaurant offering an unique Sardinian experience in his new found home of Australia.
Sardo was originally founded in Melbourne around 2007, and in 2018 Sardo Sorrento was born on Victoria’s beautiful Mornington Peninsula, where Danny met Stefano and the shared Sardo journey as business partners began.
Seven years later, and while closing Sardo for the annual long mid-winter holidays, they chose to do something different and thaw out in Noosa. With so many similarities to coastal Sorrento such as seasonality, friendly people and a strong local demographic, Sardo Noosa was a natural fit and they felt immediately at home.
The menu encapsulates Stefano and Danny’s Sardinian roots with its leaning towards seafood, a penchant for beautiful seasonal produce, choosing simplicity over complicated dishes, and cooking with heart and soul. No wonder we love it so much!
Amongst the antipasti, a handmade ball of burrata sits atop zucchini velouté, before its creaminess melds divinely into sunny-kissed cherry tomatoes, a balsamic reduction and is mopped up with crostini; buttery eye fillet carpaccio with a citrus coulis covers the plate, is adorned with delectable fried capers, toasted almonds, shaved parmesan and rocket; and pistachio crusted Mooloolaba yellowfin tuna, hugging whipped ricotta cream and vincotto, transports us to the Costa Smeralda.
High salivation points for silky house made burrata ravioli, with prawns and lobster meat in a piquant bisque; and a dish of perfectly al dente rigatoni pasta swathed in a luscious, rich slow cooked, beer braised lamb ragu, dotted with tiny taggiasca olives and aged pecorino shavings, hits the high notes, especially with a glass of Cannonau.
The grape originates from the Grenache family, is a light to medium body wine depending which part of Sardinia it is grown. The wine list showcases a range of Sardinian red and white wines from various wineries to cater for all palettes, and Sardo imports them exclusively for the two restaurants.
Seafood fregola, with toasted Sardinian pearl pasta, prawns, calamari, mussels, barramundi, fresh tomatoes, lobster bisque and bottarga is another Sardinian favourite, whilst equally popular, is Malloreddus sausage ragu pasta.
On special occasions the chef will offer the regional specialty of suckling pig.
Dessert time and decadence abounds. An elderflower panna cotta with an oat crumble base, raspberry gel and crowned with a green apple sorbet gel is an Insta must, and encore for Gianduiotto, a crunchy Rocher-coated log with soft bourbon vanilla centre and honeycomb for sweet texture.
A fitting finale especially for espresso martini aficionados has vanilla vodka, Frangelico and Kahlua. Too late in the day or night for it? No worries, there’s coffee!
Indoors, the bright colours of Sardinia complement the food and the smiling faces.
As Danny says “we love to have fun, not just serve wonderful food and wine but create an unforgettable experience shared by loved ones. We have live music most nights with guests often interacting spontaneously.”
Cin cin and salute Sardo!
