Chef and owner Alberto Ranalli wants his restaurant to be casual and approachable while still offering fine dining food. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Who are you?
Alberto Ranalli and I’m the chef and owner of Peonee in Campbell.
Tell me about Peonee.
Peonee is a small modern Australian restaurant offering only a 5-course set menu.
What is your food philosophy?
It’s about being as sustainable as we can. Our menu limits waste because we already know exactly what we’re selling. We also try to avoid wastage overall and find another use for by-products like bones, offal, or veggie scraps. We make our own miso using leftover sourdough, as well as our own koji, vinegars and kombuchas.
How did you get involved in the hospitality industry?
I started very young, around 14 years old. I wasn’t the brightest kid in school, so my dad found me a job in a restaurant in our town in Italy. It was sort of a punishment but I ended up really liking it!
If you weren’t in hospitality, what would you be doing instead?
Probably something related to design: I was into sneakers, drawing, and designing my own shoes, so something like that.
What is your favourite ingredient when cooking?
I’ve been classically French trained, so butter has a huge role in my cooking style.
Alberto rates Ramen-O as an underrated spot in Canberra. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
What’s an underrated Canberra venue that you love?
I love Ramen-O. I used to live right next to them in Belconnen and I love their signature classic shoyu ramen broth with charred pork belly.
Who do you admire in the Canberra food scene?
Definitely the guys behind Pilot and Such and Such. That style of dining was fairly common in Sydney, but they really brought it to Canberra.
Where’s the best place for a coffee or a drink in Canberra?
For coffee, I would say Intra. They’re right next door to us and have amazing coffee and really great ambience.
For drinks, Paranormal Wines: I love what Max is doing there. They’re also next door – this is a great building!
Max Walker of Paranormal Wines is right next door to Peonee. Photo: buffet.digital.
Who is your dream dinner party guest, and what would you make them?
It would probably be one of my culinary influences, Chef Pierre Koffmann. I never had the pleasure of working for him, but when I lived in London, other chefs would mention his name all the time.
He became famous for introducing French fine dining to London, and stuffed pig trotters were one of his iconic dishes, and lots of places would try to replicate it. I would try to make that for him.
What is your current food obsession?
I recently started working on making my own blue cheese, but I’m still a rookie! I’m trying to grow mould on leftover sourdough and inoculate that mould into the milk. So far, my experiments have failed, but hopefully, I’ll get there! Blue cheese is probably the hardest.
What’s the best thing you ate this week?
We’ve just started using Gundagai lamb at the restaurant and the quality of the meat is just amazing. I cook the saddle of lamb by putting it skin side into a cold pan to render the fat slowly, and then at the end we glaze it with a reduction of coffee kombucha.
What’s a food that reminds you of your childhood?
Being from Bologna, I have to say tortellini en brodo: tortellini in broth. I still make my mum’s recipe at home.
The kitchen at Peonee makes its own kombucha, vinegars, sodas and more. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
When you can’t be bothered to cook for yourself, where do you go and what do you eat?
I love a good Bahn Mi from Ms Bahn Co. Lately, I’ve been getting the lemongrass chicken, but I usually go for their classic pork roll.
Where are you travelling next?
It’s been seven years since I’ve been home, so it’s definitely time to go back and say hi to my family and friends! Otherwise, it would be South Korea: I’ve travelled quite a lot in Asia, but that’s a country I’ve never been to, so I’m just curious. And the food obviously – I always travel for the food.
Tell me something you love about living in Canberra.
No traffic! But seriously, I love the dining scene. It’s growing a lot. People in Sydney talk down about Canberra, so when I moved here two years ago, I was really surprised: cafes, bars and restaurants here are amazing and only getting better.
What’s a normal breakfast for you?
A long black and that’s it! I don’t eat in the morning, I just have a big meal at 4 pm and that’s about it for the day.
Peonee is located at g34/12 Pentland St, Campbell. Bookings are preferred through their website.
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