Ciuccio Cafe Brunch Launch

Casa Ciuccio (pronounced chooch-o) is a cafe and wine store focused on a menu embodying authentic Mediterranean cuisine. Run by Fabio Candolo and Carrie Bartonek, Casa Ciuccio is set in a cute and light-filled space on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy. Drawing from Fabio’s upbringing in Sicily, Casa Ciuccio’s brunch menu brings some different flavours from what you might have at other Melbourne hotspots.

We started off with a selection of Sweet Stuff, with our favourite being the contrasting textures of the crunchy pastry and soft melting filling in the cannoli.

We then had Shroom’s Ragu & Polenta, which was complemented with smoked scamorza, rocket and truffle oil, topped with a 63 degree egg. We can’t vouch for whether the egg was cooked exactly at 63 degrees, but that doesn’t matter because the dish was delicious! We really enjoyed the scamorza sitting atop of the mushroom and combining this with the polenta made for a very tasty combination!

For something less serious, we tried Dr Marty’s Crumpets which was topped with house made peanut butter, bacon, banana and honey. One for the sweet tooths, the peanut butter was rich and the banana honey combination was flavourful. If that wasn’t enough, the bacon adds to the list of guilty pleasures!

On our way out, we were slightly envious of the extensive wine list and collection on show. We will be sure to visit next time to try the extensive menu! If you get the chance, make your way down there at 15 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. 

Location: 13-15 Gertrude St, Fitzroy
Phone: (03) 8488 8150
Link: casaciuccio.com.au
Cuisine: Mediterranean