Located in the heart of Garema Place, La Scala and its Italian cuisine first opened in 1988 and has been there ever since.
Named after the famous opera house in Milian, La Scala restaurant mimics the opera house’s interior with images of theatre masks being prominent on all the walls.
Amongst many other things, passion and enthusiasm come through the décor of the restaurant, and the staff are always more than happy to help pick the perfect meal choice.
“Hospitality is not just a job; it’s a way of life,” Owner Gabriele Saccardo said.
“It’s been 20 years, and we have had plenty of opportunities to change careers, but we still love it and always decide that we would not want to be doing anything else.”
Time to create perfection is what La Scala is all about, with a popular dish on the on the menu being the ‘risotto con pollo ed funghi porchini alla crema’ – chicken risotto with porchini mushrooms and cream. Taking 20 minutes to cook, the risotto is a fresh cooked dish to be savoured.
Having been open for many years, La Scala has had the advantage of witnessing the many changes and challenges the Canberra hospitality industry has faced.
“To have good restaurant in 1988 you had to have two things; you had to have good food and a good chef. These days you must have a good product and good service. The value, the quality of the experience has dramatically increased. People expect a lot more, and people know value.”
An entire family affair, La Scala has plenty of inspiration for seasonal menus, with relatives in Rome swapping recipes with Canberra to make sure there is always something new for diners to experience.
“The difference in cooking styles within Italy is huge. You have the islands, Sardinia and Sicily, where you have seafood. You have the south that has the strong chilli influence. You have the middle region, Bologna, where the parmesan, ravioli and lasagne comes from.”
“There is also a fringe movement within Italian cuisine in Italy, and so with some of our specials we try out some of the more unique recipes.”
Tipped for the new Autumn Menu will be dishes from towards the middle region of Italy.
“The Autumn Menu is going to be a bit spicier. We will start to move away from the seafood, more towards some of the game meats. At the moment we are thinking the region of influence will be around the back part of Italy between Tuscany and Rome.”
Gabriele is in agreement that the word ‘happy’ sums up the La Scala experience.
“We try and give you not just food, but a full experience. The service we give, the wine choice, the atmosphere – so you leave thinking, wow what a nice place.”
