By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
Tuscany unfolds in rolling hills and valleys drenched in golden sunlight. A region of olive groves and cypress trees, where cities have inspired artists and poets for centuries. From the streets of Florence to Siena’s piazzas, the cuisine of this Central Italian escape mirrors this landscape - simple, fresh and unpretentious, yet layered with flavour.
This month, Ragazzi Wine + Pasta will capture this essence in its next Ragazzi Avventura wine lunch, a feast of Tuscan classics on Sunday, September 14.
Group Executive Chef Scott McComas-Williams and Head Chef Jamie Robertson have created an eight-course menu priced at $175. Two sittings, 12 pm and 2.45 pm, welcome diners into a world of crisp crostini, rich pasta and slow-cooked meat.
The first course, Crostini burro e acciughe con uovo sodo, offers buttery toast topped with salty anchovies and delicate slices of hard-boiled egg. Piatto misto follows, a curated selection of cured salumi and cheese that evokes the markets of Florence. The menu moves to panzanella, a salad of soaked bread and Summer vegetables, lightly dressed to let the produce speak.
Next is polpo ubriaco, or ‘drunken Tasmanian octopus’, braised in red wine until tender. The octopus arrives glossy and fragrant, a dish both humble and sophisticated. Handmade pasta follows: Pici all’Aglione, thick strands of pici coated in a slow-cooked tomato sauce and Pecorino Toscano and Tordelli Lucchese, delicate parcels of braised Maremma free-range duck.
Diners may also pre-order a 600 g Ranger’s Valley Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a steak that demands attention, charred on the outside and juicy within. While for dessert, Torta di Riso Fiorentina closes the meal with a comforting, sweet rice cake that carries notes of lemon and vanilla.
Wines are chosen to surprise and delight. Sommelier Miriam Regine and Head of Beverage James Griffin guide the pairings. Guests begin with a Tuscan gin aperitif, crisp and aromatic. A glass of Fugano Vernaccia di San Gimignano follows, light and floral, before a sequence of reds including Il Civettaio Sangiovese, Satta Bolgheri Rosso and Mastrojanni Ciliegiolo.
Each wine highlights a different facet of Tuscany, from bright acidity to earthy depth. For those adding the Bistecca, Querce Bettina’s Rosso di Montalicino 2019 or Brunello di Montalcino 2013 enhances the steak’s richness. Vin Santo closes the afternoon, honeyed and nutty, perfect with the final bite of Torta di Riso.
However, this menu is not just about the food, but a meal for the senses. Pici twirls around forks, cheese crumbles beneath knives and the octopus yields easily with a fork. Saltiness and acidity balance in every bite. Herbs arrive fresh, draped over meat and vegetables. Wine amplifies the textures, cutting through richness and echoing subtle spice. The room hums with conversation, laughter and the gentle clink of glasses.
Ragazzi Avventura is more than food and wine. It is a study in regional Italian cooking, attentive to seasonality and provenance. Ingredients are local when possible, sourced to reflect Tuscany’s focus on quality proteins, cured meat and cheese.
Every dish offers a snapshot of the region: its coastlines, its rolling hills, its city markets. The wine pairing complements without overpowering, nudging flavours into focus.
September 14 sees the next chapter of Ragazzi Avventura unfold. Tickets are $175. Seats are limited. Diners will discover Tuscan food as it was intended - simple, soulful and precise. Each course carries history and heart and each wine captures the landscape in a glass.
For a few hours, the hills of Tuscany come alive, plated and poured, in the heart of the Harbour City.
