Bottarga

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Personal Restaurant Built on Immigrant Values

Bottarga began on Martin Street, Brighton, with fewer than twenty seats and just two people: Federico in the kitchen and Somi in the front. That intimate scale was never a limitation — it was the point. Founded on the values of a hard-working immigrant family, the restaurant grew into one of Brighton's Bayside most awarded dining destinations before opening a new, slightly larger chapter on Bay Street.

Federico brings over a decade of culinary craft — from Vue de Monde to Matteo's and Scopri — to each plate. Somi, with a lifelong love of hospitality and deep knowledge of wine, curates every guest experience with care and warm professionalism. Together they do it all, from plating to wine selection, and the result is something that resists easy categorisation: honest, grounded, and quietly refined.

Where Italian Tradition Meets Asian Nuance and Australian Produce

The cooking at Bottarga sits at the intersection of Italian tradition, Asian influence, and modern Australian identity. Seasonal, wild, and native ingredients sourced from Australia's finest growers, fishers, and artisans are shaped through house-made elements and classical techniques. The open kitchen draws guests into the process — the heat, the aroma, the quiet details — before anything reaches the table.

The menu offers several ways in. À la carte suits those who want to set their own pace. The Chef Selection Feed Me ($99pp, minimum two people) is a weekly-changing selection of six to eight sharing dishes. The Tasting Experience ($185pp) is a refined multi-course exploration of the kitchen's most expressive plates. Daily specials shift with seasonal inspiration.

Recognition That Reflects the Work

The Age Good Food Guide noticed Bottarga in its very first year of operation, and the restaurant has held one hat in both 2024 and 2025. The wine program has earned its own distinction: a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and a Two Glass Award from the Australian Wine List of the Year Awards, in both 2024 and 2025. The list leans into Italian and Australian producers while reaching toward rare finds from across the Mediterranean — served alongside cocktails, aperitivi, and a rotating by-the-glass selection.

Bottarga also produces its own limited Vintage Cuvée sparkling wine, a Méthode Traditionnelle made from fruit sourced in Tasmania's Piper's River region — a small but telling detail about how seriously this team takes every element of the experience.

The goal, as Federico and Somi put it, is simple: to create memories that linger, a sense of nostalgia, and a feeling of belonging — hospitality that leaves an impression long after the last glass is poured.