A new Italian eatery for Sydney’s northern beaches

Acclaimed chef Giovanni Pilu will be bringing regional Italian fare to Sydney’s northern beaches.

Pilu is the owner-chef behind Freshwater’s fine-dining Italian restaurant Pilu at Freshwater.

Now he’s planning to set up a sibling eatery AcquaFresca by Pilu in Freshwater. It will be opening Saturday June 30 at the $160 million Harbord Diggers redevelopment.

It will be open for lunch and dinner daily.

The new venue will be modelled the coastal trattorias of Italy.

It will be offering al fresco dining.

And the food will be share-friendly, all offered with some numero uno waterfront views.

AcquaFresca by Pilu  is expected to have significantly cheaper prices than Pilu at Freshwater. Which means people can enjoy good Italian food without forking out too much money.

The menu will have lots of antipasti.

Added to that will be a burrata and candied tomato crostini.

And then there are dishes of mortadella, farinata and pickled fenne along with freshly rolled pasta, pumpkin gnocchi with burnt butter, sage and truffle pecorino in addition to all the mains. Pizzas will be made made on dough and proved in-house for 48 hours

The wine list is both Italian and local offerings which makes the place perfect for after-work gatherings.

The new restaurant will be located in the Harbord Diggers, the $160 million dining and entertainment precinct in the northern beaches which will also house a range of bars and restaurants — including AcquaFresca, Teddy Larkin's Seafood and Steakhouse, pan-asian eatery WaterDragon and a new Harbord Diggers Bar.

There will also be childcare facilities and a new senior living residences called Watermark Freshwater.

The precinct is run by the by the Mounties Group, and it replaces the former club overlooking Freshwater and Curl Curl Beach.

Apart from the opening this Saturday, there is a second stage, scheduled to open in late 2019.,

It will include a new fitness and aquatic centre and the completion of Watermark Freshwater.

Image credit: Harbord Diggers

Leon Getler 28th June 2018.