Jupiters Hotel and Casino is set to unveil its new Italian restaurant, Cucina Vivo, in late December 2014.
Inspired by cliff-top restaurants along the Amalfi Coast, Cucina Vivo will feature an outdoor terrace overlooking the newly-renovated pool and will be Jupiters’ first outdoor dining venue.
Managing Director Jupiters Hotel and Casino Geoff Hogg said the restaurant draws on traditional Italian food culture by celebrating the joy of sharing locally-sourced, fresh produce together with family and friends.
“With long, shared tables, platters of delicious hand-made pastas and a bustling wood-fired oven, Cucina Vivo will be the ideal venue for families and friends to come together over food and wine and enjoy the beautiful Gold Coast weather,” Hogg said.
Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and brunch on Sundays, Cucina Vivo will offer an Italian menu with traditional favourites as well as inspired interpretations of the classics by Executive Head Chef Salvatore Silvestrino.
The centrepiece of Cucina Vivo will be a two-metre long wood-fired oven, with Jupiters’ ownpizzaiolo (pizza expert) cooking delicious pizzas alongside baked dishes such as Oven-Braised Wagyu Beef Meatballs and Lasagna di Carne – layers of home-made pasta, bolognese, béchamel, parmigiano and mozzarella. A charcuterie station will also be prominent in the restaurant, to slice cold cuts of meat on the spot for fresh antipasti and pizza toppings.
For the ultimate Sunday gathering, brunch at Cucina Vivo will offer an exclusive Signature Sunday Brunch Buffet with a range of traditional, breakfast and dessert pizzas, antipasti, Italian breads, pickled and grilled vegetables and unlimited non-alcoholic beverages. Also available on the Sunday a-la-carte menu will be Italian-style breakfast dishes such as panini and frittatas.
Hailing from the home of pizza of Naples, Italy, Executive Head Chef Salvatore Silvestrino, an Italian-born and trained chef, has had nearly 30 years’ experience in five-star luxury resorts all over the world including Bangkok, Singapore and the Middle East. For the first decade of his career, he honed his Italian cooking skills in restaurants around Italy.
Salvatore said he was excited to show the Gold Coast the very best of Italian cuisine.
“My passion for Italian cooking comes from my mother, who had the ability to turn a meal into an experience. Most of the recipes I use are interpretations from my childhood memories of the food she served when I was growing up in Naples,” Silvestrino said.
Cucina Vivo will be available for group bookings, corporate lunches, dinners and events and will have a 12-seat private dining area.
The design of the 240-seat restaurant draws its inspiration from the southern Italian coast, as well as renowned Italian architect Carlo Scarpo, and celebrates the unique Queensland climate with an indoor/outdoor feel. Design firm Luchetti Krelle is also responsible for the design of Kiyomi, Jupiters’ new Japanese restaurant, Fat Noodle at Treasury Casino & Hotel, Brisbane, and Momofuku Sieobo and Adriano Zumbo at The Star in Sydney.
Cucina Vivo is part of Jupiters’ $345 million transformation, which includes new Japanese restaurant and bar Kiyomi, a fresh new exterior look, and a new poolside experience.
When complete the redevelopment will also include a new six-star luxury hotel tower and an array of contemporary restaurants and bars.