It’s been four months since Bella Restaurant and Wine Bar moved in to Victoria Road, after Covid forced owner and Surry Hills local Nicola to venture into hospitality from the music industry.
“I’ve been a DJ all my life, basically. Six years ago, I started a brand called ‘We Love’ in Sydney. We run events all around Australia. It’s also a record label and agency,” Nicola told Urban Village.
“During Covid I wasn’t able to run my events. My partner, Adriana, is a really talented chef, so during Covid we started to think about the Bella project.”
Nicola is originally from the Amalfi Coast and Adriana is originally from Brazil. Adriana honed her culinary skills all over Italy for ten years and has worked in many Australian fine dining kitchens.
The restaurant is vegetarian and pescatarian, a nod to the duo’s own dietary preferences and cuisine specialty.
“We’re influenced by cuisine from the south of Italy. We have a very particular way of cooking our fish. You won’t find it in other restaurants around Sydney,” said Nicola.
Guests can expect fresh pasta prepared daily, sustainably sourced seafood and premium important Italian ingredients, with wines carefully selected from across Italy and Australia.
Nicola loves the ocean, it’s the main similarity between Sydney and his hometown.
“I miss home, but my love for Australia is bigger than how much I miss Italy. I want to be here for a while,” said Nicola.
Catch live music at Bella every Friday night and DJs and drinks specials every Saturday.
—
Bella
231a Victoria St, Darlinghurst
@bellarestaurantwinebar
