Artusi Southgate

Artusi Southgate

DEXUS Property Group officially announces the launch of ARTUSI, a new modern Italian wine bar and dining establishment at the Southgate Restaurant and Shopping Precinct.

Opening in April 2014, ARTUSI will cater to 150 patrons for lunch, pre-theatre, dinner and supper seven days a week with an extensive Italian and European wine list and authentic Italian tapas menu created by head chef Leandro Panza.

Scott Travers, DEXUS Regional General Manager Office & Industrial said, "We are proud to announce the opening of ARTUSI at Southgate this year, which will add an exceptional new wine and Italian tapas experience to Southgate. The restaurant is ideally positioned next to Hamer Hall and affirms Southgate's position as the gateway to Melbourne's arts precinct."

ARTUSI is the brainchild of Luis Pampliega and Tamara Volkoff, owners of the much-loved Southgate Italian eatery Tutto Bene that is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The ethos of ARTUSI is 'The Art of Eating and Drinking Well', inspired by Pellegrino Artusi and his book La Scienza in Cucina e L'Arte di Mangiar Bene (The Science of Cookery and the Art of Eating Well), published in 1891. Italian born Artusi was a bon vivant and raconteur, well known in the art and food world, and credited by many food historians as establishing a truly national cuisine and laying the foundations for Italy's dining identity as we know it.

With a Sicilian heritage and knowledge and passion for Italian cooking, ARTUSI's head chef Leandro Panza has been integral in the development of the new venture and has worked with world renowned Italian restaurateurs and establishments. These include La Strada in Singapore and celebrity chef George Locatelli's Michelin star restaurant, Zafferano in London, as well as in several of Melbourne's well established Italian restaurants, including Tutto Bene, where Leandro currently remains as executive chef.

"Our focus is on producing artisan handmade pastas and a mouth-watering selection of delicacies, such as whole roasted duck, suckling pig and fish created from the new wood fired oven which will be the heart and soul of the kitchen, matched with a wide selection of boutique wines. Organic produce, bespoke producers and 'paddock to plate' dining is inherent to ARTUSI's philosophy with the whole experience centred on simplicity, authenticity and quality," said Leandro.

ARTUSI's architectural design will be created by Chris Connell (Café Cucina, Il Bacaro, Melbourne Dining Room) and is inspired by Southgate's history as a landmark city dining destination with features of its bluestone façade with copper and marble accents, opening the light through the bay windows to bask in the view of the city by day or by night.

ARTUSI will be located on Southgate's upper level joining well-known Southgate favourites The Deck, Miyako and the new look Bluetrain. The venue is the first in a series of new restaurant openings at Southgate in 2014, with a European beer dining concept to follow later in the year.

Southgate restaurant and shopping precinct, located on the south bank of the Yarra River, is located at the gateway to the arts precinct of Melbourne. A recently completed $26 million major redevelopment of the precinct has transformed Southgate into a vibrant restaurant, shopping and entertainment destination.

The iconic complex comprises two high-quality office towers across 66,000 square metres, the 29 level IBM Centre and the 24 level HWT Tower, a three level dining and retail plaza across 9,000 square metres and a large underground car park accommodating 1,041 vehicles. www.celebratesouthgate.com.au

Southgate is 100% owned and managed by DEXUS Property Group (DEXUS). DEXUS is one of Australia's leading real estate groups, investing directly in high quality Australian office and industrial properties. With a total of $13 billion of assets under management, DEXUS also actively manages office, industrial and retail properties located in key Australian markets on behalf of third party capital partners. DEXUS manages an office portfolio of over 900,000 square metres across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth and is the largest institutional owner of office buildings in the Sydney CBD, Australia's largest office market.

DEXUS is a Top 50 entity by market capitalisation listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the stock market trading code 'DXS' and is supported by more than 18,000 investors from 15 countries. With over 25 years of experience in property investment, development and asset management, DEXUS has a proven track record in capital and risk management, providing service excellence to tenants and delivering superior risk-adjusted returns to
investors.
www.dexus.com