Just Opened: Chillis Deli, Ettalong

Chillis Deli is a new Italian deli, eatery and gelateria on Ettalong Beach on the Central Coast of NSW. Housed in an Italian style shopping village it looks like a little slice of Italy. Save this post for your next Central Coast vacay!

I have been watching the progress of Chillis Deli for a few weeks and was excited to see that it would be open for our visit to the Central Coast albeit at a very tender 4 days old. The couple behind Chillis Deli are Hayley Hardcastle and chef Cameron Cansdell. They handed back their lease on the very successful Saddles at Mount White one and a half years ago. Since then, the serial entrepreneur couple have opened up a florist called Flower Girl Lane (where Cameron creates the huge wedding arrangements) and now Chillis with another Central Coast eatery to come in a month’s time.

Chillis originally started as a deli and gelateria but Hayley soon realised that they had outgrown the concept and wanted tables. Now they are open for breakfast and lunch from Thursday to Sunday and dinner on Friday nights until 8pm. It is best to book ahead of time as the space only accommodates 25 people. It is also dog friendly.

Chillis Deli is located inside the Galleria Ettalong Beach shopping village and we take a seat near the Italian style sculptures with a floral lined balcony above us. It’s a bit surreal but fun at the same time especially if you miss Italy as we do.

The lunch and dinner menu are the same and are a natural extension of the deli’s Italian offering. Hayley sets down plates - these sunny yellow plates were from their other very successful Bombini in Avoca. We decide to go with lots of small plates although if you want something more substantial like a steak or pork cutlet that’s available too. We start with the house baked focaccia that comes as two thick slices served with ricotta and chilli powder with extra virgin olive oil served at the table. A little tip: save some of this for the sauces that come out.

The suppli is a large single croquette that is crunchy on the outside and filled with wagyu spaghetti bolognese inside. It’s hot and fresh and ideal for sharing among two people.

Vitello Tonnato is one of my favourite Italian dishes and this is a great version with thinly sliced veal on a bed of lemony tuna. Again you want to save some of that bread for the sauce.

The tuna carpaccio comes as overlapping slices of sashimi tuna topped with capers and lemon and a rocket chiffonade. It’s fresh and simple and perfect for the warm summer weather this evening.

I adore paccheri, that thick tubular pasta (rigatoni’s bigger cousin) and this is paired with a generous amount of split, butterflied king prawns. There’s almost as many prawns as there are pasta pieces and the sauce is utterly lickable with nduja and tomato.

The butter lettuce leaves are dressed in a lemony vinaigrette with toasted sesame seeds and are a good match for the richer dishes giving them a lightness.

Next is dessert and there are a couple of classics like tiramisu but we are interested in trying the gelato and sorbet! There are around a dozen flavours and you can go to the gelato counter to see what they are and sample them. Pistachio is a classic of course but I’m also intrigued by a few other flavours too. You can also get toppings on these like praline, waffles, amarena cherries and fudge sauce. We both vie for the last spoonfuls of the boysenberry gelato made with yogurt and served with berries and cream. It perfectly straddles tangy and sweet. Mr NQN adores the tutti frutti (mango, passion fruit, banana and orange) and the watermelon and guava sorbets that have pitch perfect sweetness. And we end on the richest and sweetest gelato-the pistachio made with Australian pistachios, feuilletine and amarena cherries.

After dinner we go for a walk around the shopping village and I head upstairs to Cinema Paradiso where the lovely staff show me where you can see a gorgeous view of the piazza below.

So tell me Dear Reader, do you prefer to order small plates to share or a main dish of your own?

Chillis Deli

33-34/189 Ocean View Rd, Ettalong Beach NSW 2257

Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 8am-4pm

Friday 8am-8pm

Monday to Wednesday closed