There's nothing Pasquale Trimboli loves more than stealing some focaccia from the Italian and Sons' kitchen, maybe some pancetta or crumbed eggplant, some cheese, and turning it into an easy lunch.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
And then it hit him, maybe his loyal following might do as well.
So he flipped Bacaro, the wine-bar at the back of the restaurant in the laneway, into a lunchtime Focaccia Bar where you can indulge in, what is essentially, the essence of the award-winning main restaurant between two slices of bread.
And it's not just any bread. It's made in the much-loved wood-fired oven, which was imported from Napoli, from a sourdough starter that's been in the family since 1996.
"We thought it would be a great idea to just do something that we enjoy ourselves and people are enjoying it," he said.
![Pasquale Trimboli believes his focaccia is the best in town. Picture by Keegan Carroll Pasquale Trimboli believes his focaccia is the best in town. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MUwv8t3Wj4u7LSUBpSbqhh/d0d57950-6148-42cf-9c64-8971bdb3fcc9.jpg/r0_256_5000_3078_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It's gluten-free too; the flour is imported from Italy, it's lower in protein and slightly sweeter than Australian flour.
"Believe it or not, we are doing really great gluten-free products, and I'd say it's probably the best gluten-free focaccia you will ever find. It's baked daily and it's amazing," he says
"It's become so light and fluffy that it's great, you wouldn't know you were eating gluten free, and we're pretty proud of it."
The fillings are evolving. There might be pork, rolled with rosemary and pancetta, salsa verde, watercress, mostarda and crema di cauliflower. Or mortadella with stracciatella and crema di pistachio.
![You can now get their focaccia with your favourite toppings. Picture by James Croucher You can now get their focaccia with your favourite toppings. Picture by James Croucher](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MUwv8t3Wj4u7LSUBpSbqhh/6d70076c-c527-4ca6-98d2-5bce2c676080.jpg/r0_482_7740_4834_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Trimboli has a weakness for the "funghi", using pine mushrooms they've sourced locally, alongside porcini and portobello, topped with reggiano cheese.
You can eat in or takeaway, if you're lucky the fireplace might be on, maybe grab a quick something off the wine list to elevate lunch.
It's serving between 11.30am and 2.30pm, every Wednesday to Friday, and takeaway prices start at $16.
And you might have to settle for takeaway.
"Even though we have told people not to book, Friday lunch is already booked out," he says.
"So it's crazy, people are jumping on it."
Focaccia Bar, 7 Lonsdale Street, Braddon. Serving from the laneway around the back.