Thirty9 sits pretty in the midst of Duxton’s heritage shophouses. Take a seat at the verandah, lit with fairy lights and shrouded by leafy fronds. With a name like Thirty9, it’s obvious that this picture-perfect restaurant is Italian – but bear in mind that it also sits on 39 Duxton Hill. As owners Peter and Giusi Stilli intended, it’s also a fine showcase of Mediterranean cuisine and true enough, coastal influences come through with an abundant use of fresh seafood.
The menu doesn’t shy away from using quality olive oil either, and you’ll see that from the get go. Dip with the complimentary basket of bread. We all know that a good gauge for any European restaurant is the bread, and Thirty9’s basket of freshly baked focaccia, panini, and grissini doesn’t disappoint.
With Italian chef Erik Trozza, everything at this family-owned restaurant is made from scratch, with pasta rolled out fresh and Napoli-style pizza proofed in-house. Little wonder that its Italian heritage rings true, since Thirty9 is the sister restaurant of well-loved Latteria Mozzarella Bar. Try homemade pasta like the hearty pork and beef ragu fusilli ($34) or the spinach and ricotta cheese ravioli ($32), done with the simple but tasty ingredients of lemon, butter, and parmesan. Make sure to get a pizza for the table to share, with the likes of a basil pesto-based Genovese pizza topped with red prawns, potato, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Thirty9 has a set lunch menu, starting from $33 for a two-course meal. The happy hour promotion ($39) is also bound to be a crowd-pleaser – a choice between a pizza or two tapas plates, along with either two pints of beer or two glasses of wine.
