By Leigh O’Connor.
Local Tasmanian produce through an Italian lens sums up Launceston restaurant Stelo at Pierre’s and Head Chef Nathan Johnston.
Nestled on George Street and spreading across two grand dining rooms, a bar and private dining space, Stelo delivers locally crafted leather bench seats, Tasmanian Oak and leather chairs and crisp linen, making the venue warm, luxe and intimate.
Nathan opened Stelo in 2017 after working in Michelin-starred restaurants in London as his first solo adventure, hosting lunches and beautiful weddings in a hazelnut orchard, 20 minutes from Launceston.
In 2020, Stelo moved to Pierre’s Restaurant in the heart of town just as the COVID pandemic struck, challenging Chefs worldwide.
"I wasn’t an exception – I had a new 180-seat restaurant, three little children and a bloody great crew, all with an uncertain future,” he recalls. "We hunkered down, stayed together and experimented.
"Our signature slowly-leavened focaccia was born at this time.”
Stelo is pure luxury, driven by a team of diehard hospo professionals where you can always expect warm, tailored service and precise cooking with bags of flavour – Tassie produce is championed and there is a little party at every table.
"Seven months ago, next door, we opened Bar Stelo – a moody, sleek, cosy cocktail bar with serious snacks and local booze shaken by experts,” Nathan says.
You’ll find him in the pasta section of the restaurant, living for the service rush and chasing that perfect night.
As for ingredients and flavours, Nathan is inspired by what is in season – fennel is a fave and figs, local tomatoes, stone fruit and root vegetables all feature heavily on his menu when they are around.
Unsurprisingly, his signature dish is a pasta creation – gnocchi ragu with rich layered, slow-cooked Cape Grim beef of different cuts, red wine, roasted garlic and Grana Padano – a big hug in a bowl.
It is his recipe for buttermilk squid fritto and salsa rossa he shares with AGFG – squid tentacles soaked in buttermilk for 24 hours to tenderise them, then coated in gluten-free plain flour, paprika, turmeric, black pepper, fennels seeds and mustard powder.
The squid tentacles are deep-fried until crispy, then served on top of the salsa rossa, with lemon cheeks or wedges on the side for the ideal starter to a memorable Italian meal.
Nathan says post-COVID has been an extremely busy period for the industry as people just want to get out and eat, however, he identifies that the gap between highly-trained staff and those just starting out is greater than ever.
As for the future, he’ll be at Stelo ‘slinging out delicious food, working with a great team of people’.
