Salt Meats Cheese Group has kicked off 2019 with the launch of its first restaurant in Sydney’s Northern Beaches and biggest restaurant to date.
Salt Meats Cheese Dee Why serving up a grazing menu of pastas, pizzas, cocktails and desserts. Food and drink at Salt Meats Cheese Dee Why are served the classic Italian way – shared and enjoyed as a large group.
The drinks menu is heavily influenced by Italian aperitivo culture, with wine, cocktail and spritz on offer. The menu features dishes like the Crab Tagliolini, with blue swimmer crab with zucchini and chilli; Rotolo Gratin with saffron, pistachio, brown butter, goats cheese and sage; signature Balmain Bugs, with broad beans, nduja oil and tomato; and Amatriciana, a smoked scamorza served with amatriciana sauce, pancetta, pan grattato, basil and pecorino. Those wanting pizza can choose from a number of classic toppings, including margherita, proscuitto, capricciosa, vegetarian and buffalo. All Salt Meats Cheese pizzas have the option of being served on a gluten free base or made with dairy free gorgonzola for vegan diners.
The newest venue takes up over a 240sqm on the ground floor of the Lighthouse by Meriton. Echoing Salt Meats Cheese Cronulla, Dee Why features a bespoke façade comprised of raw steel and large glazed elements, allowing people to see into the venue’s open kitchen, complete with a large pizza oven and bar space. The 120 person venue, designed in collaboration with Decon, follows the group’s philosophy of providing a unique sensory experience through rich materiality — each element is custom designed and handcrafted to create a bespoke setting. Grey stone benchtops and reclaimed timber are used throughout, while recycled Oregon and terracotta tiles juxtapose the raw steel, allowing for a visually stimulating dining experience as the customers move throughout the formal waiting area, bar and restaurant.
“Dee Why is the biggest venue we’ve ever opened. We wanted to create a new space that would perfectly cater to the community and create a restaurant where large groups of friends or families could enjoy, just like the dining style we’re used to back home,” co-founded Stefano de Blasi says. “Dee Why is the heart of the Northern Beaches and we’re thrilled to join the fold.”
Childhood friends de Blasi and Edoardo Perlo founded Salt Meats Cheese in 2012, four years after moving to Sydney from Northern Italy. Seven years on, The Salt Meats Cheese group is rapidly expanding, with plans to open a CBD rooftop bar in the coming weeks.