It's been more than a year since the farm-to-table meals Pialligo Estate became synonymous with landed on a table in front of hungry diners. But the wait is almost over.
Now under the guidance of new owners, Anthony Whitehouse and Tony Denny, as well as executive chef Stefano Mondonico, the estate's Pavilion Restaurant opens its doors on Thursday to once again deliver a menu with quality ingredients at the forefront.
For Mondonico, the new position as the restaurant's executive chef means splitting his time between Sydney and the capital, as he's also in the process of opening his own restaurant there.
Still, the chance to work at Pialligo was too good to pass up for the Brazilian-born, Italian-trained chef.
"I've always worked with seafood back in Sydney and I love having the chance to work with country food," Mondonico says.
"I feel like farm to table was an opportunity for me to cook things that I like. When you see my food on the plate you know you're going to be able to identify what you're about to eat.
"They're not complicated recipes; I like to give you food that you're not trying to work out what's on the plate. I just want great flavour from really good fresh produce.
"And there's great produce here in Canberra and I've been getting to know the local producers and sourcing pretty much the entire menu from the Canberra and NSW region."
This includes Magra lamb from Oberon, NSW, Sydney rock oysters from Pambula on the south coast, Snowy River trout and rare-breed Wollemi duck from the Hunter Valley region.
In fact, there are very few items that don't come from a few hundred kilometres away - scallops from Western Australia is one of them, and anchovies from Spain is another.
"That's the only ingredient I will ever get from Spain," Mondonico says.
"I'm Brazilian, with an Italian background so I love Italian food but the Spanish know how to make great anchovies. They're the most premium anchovies you can find in the world.
"They're not salty because they are preserved with vinegar and oil, and there's a perfect balance to them."
With a seasonal menu set to change every few months, The Pavilion Restaurant is kicking off its winter menu with some stellar choices.
Taking full advantage of Canberra's truffle season the entree selection includes wild creamy mushrooms with soft poached egg and truffle.
Also available on the entree menu is a venison tartare with quail egg yolk, saltbush, pecorino foam and smoked hazelnut.
But, according to Mondonico, the dish he can't go past is the seven-day dry-aged duck breast with cavolo nero, orange and some of those Spanish anchovies.
"The duck took a little bit of time to get right. Dry ageing duck is not easy to do so it took time to make it perfect," he says.
"I'm still using a little bit of seafood and the anchovies in this dish give it some balance.
"And I just love the crispiness of the skin and the juiciness of duck."
The estate's previous owners Pialligo Estate Operations entered liquidation on April 8, 2023, owing an estimated $10.6 million to nearly 600 creditors including couples who had booked weddings at the venue.
While the property's name has been retained - and of course it has the same incredible vista that Canberrans loved about Pialligo Estate - this new venture is entirely based on the collaboration between restaurateur Anthony Whitehouse and property tycoon Tony Denny.
Along with the opening of the Pavilion Restaurant, Whitehouse is launching the events side of the business through his company Create Catering.
It is this side of the business that will cater for weddings, celebrations and corporate events in the range of event venues on the estate.
Create Catering has previously worked in other Canberra region venues like Olleyville at Shaw Wines, the Gundaroo Inn and as the former operator at the Australian War Memorial.
