ITALIAN TOUCH
Hayley Barnett checks out Tauranga’s hot new spot for serious meat lovers, 1920 Cucina and Grill. PHOTOS ILK PHOTOGRAPHY
The husband and wife team behind the Mount’s Mamma Mia Trattoria have crossed a bridge — both metaphorically and literally — to fine dining. Though they’d never admit it and are quick to assure me that this new establishment is much more relaxed than it looks. As we sit in a beautiful heritage building, with its elegant high ceilings and the meat cooked to perfection, it certainly feels close.
Having recently opened 1920 Cucina and Grill at 85 The Strand, Luciano Souza and his wife, chef Cimone Juliani, decided to pour their heritage, history and hearts into this new venture, and it shows.
The couple, both born and raised in southern Brazil to Italian families, carry two culinary cultures in their bones, and for 13 years, the pair’s Mount customers would rave, again and again, about the pasta, but also, oddly enough, the steaks. “Some days I cooked more steak than pasta,” Cimone laughs.
While they’ve always stayed close to their Italian roots, they also dreamed of showcasing the rustic barbecue traditions they grew up with.
“In our region, every house has a barbecue,” Luciano explains. “If you’re not hosting one, you go to someone else’s.”
Barbecuing is as natural as breathing, and when paired with the technique-driven Italian dishes they were raised on, the couple found that a new kind of offering emerged. “We thought, why not focus on meat but keep our Italian touch?” says Cimone.
At 1920 Cucina & Grill, that balance is highlighted in the menu. They use premium New Zealand meat, which is something the pair say they appreciate more after years spent cooking abroad.
“The flavour here is amazing,” Luciano says. “It’s tender, fresh, really good to work with.”
Beef Tartare
Among the dishes earning early attention is the Beef Tartare, a first hint that this might be pretty close to fine dining. The Surf and Turf Carpaccio feels equally indulgent. And Luciano’s beloved Beef Ribs embrace that charcoal-barbecue soul he grew up with, cooked low and slow for bone-hugging flavour.
“We don’t like to think of the menu as being a fusion of flavours, but more a harmony of heritage,” says Cimone.
“Much like the structure that houses us, our Cucina & Grill is grounded in history,” adds Luciano. “Our aim is always to bring to the table traditions passed down by generations of our Italian and Southern Brazilian family.”
Pressed Pork with Parmigiano Risotto
The name 1920 is inspired by the era in which 85 The Strand was built and pays tribute to one of Tauranga’s oldest and most iconic buildings. Behind the scenes, the duo are steadily working toward an even bigger dream: a full charcoal kitchen, the kind used across Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
“That’s our second phase,” Cimone says. “We want people to know us first, then we’ll bring in the real barbecue.”
For now, it’s not fine dining, they continue to assure. The couple want the new restaurant to be a place where diners can gather and taste the story of two cultures, but mostly where people feel comfortable while eating good food. They’ve certainly achieved that, and if a little fine-dining magic slips through, well I’d say that only adds to the charm.
85 The Strand, Tauranga
