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BRUNOS - 1 Oak Avenue, Bellingen, NSW Anticipation of flavour, delivered I’m sitting on the veranda of Bruno’s in Bellingen, listening to Southern blues guitar ooze out of the speakers and in anticipation of a great meal. Opening hours are from 3pm-10pm – is 3pm a late lunch or a very early dinner? Bruno’s dishes are designed to share, and to offer you the vibe of a Mediterranean family feast. Their menu is designed around flavour – preserved lemons, zhoug (a spicy cilantro sauce), tahini – and their food is cooked in a wood grill oven. To start my mini feast for two people I order a share plate of wood grilled octopus, and it arrives with fragrant and smoky aromas. I rarely see octopus on menus on the Coffs Coast often enough. I’m not sure why, as it’s inexpensive, and works well loaded with bold flavours and pungent spices. How often can you actually smell the aromas from the food placed in front of you? The scent of the spices, the condiments used – even how it was cooked – as well as how beautifully it is plated. Our food lands on the table with the scent of their wood grill and the zesty freshness of the ingredients. The grilled octopus is served with pickled red grapes and pomegranate molasses, with pieces resting on a thick layer of almond tarator sauce that you absolutely will dab your finger into when no one is looking. Next in the flavour parade were our two mains: Grilled eggplant moussaka (no meat); and grilled prawns and mussels served on bomba (short grain) rice. The moussaka arrived, topped with soft bubbles of melted buffalo mozzarella, and scattered with fresh basil leaves, pickled green chilli, and vibrant green splodges of zhoug. Looking a lot like paella in its little black paella style pan, the grilled prawns and mussels sat on a layer of bomba. I always appreciate fresh herbs – dill, parsley and mint – and I suggest you order the sesame flatbread to scoop up the spicy sauce lurking underneath the rice. And be sure to order a dessert each. My choice is the plum and cherry clafoutis, served with spiced rum ice cream. Real food magic happens when flavours are used confidently and creatively – and Bruno’s delivers. Bruno’s is licensed, and their wine list includes 13 Australian wines; a selection of beers, whiskey, and cocktails. BRUNO'S is at 2 Oak St, Bellingen, NSW Food Review written by Awia Markey and published in HARBOUR magazine Maarch 2022 issue. |
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