ranco Caparra is about to fulfil a life-long dream of opening his own restaurant ? as he gets ready to throw open the doors to Bermuda?s latest eatery, Mediterraneo. The restaurant on the corner of Parliament and Church streets officially opens a week from Friday.

Mr. Caparra, as Mediterraneo?s executive chef and part owner, said he had been working on getting the restaurant open for the better part of the last year.

?It was a struggle to get to this stage, but we made it,? he smiled.

Mr. Caparra declined to reveal the identity of the restaurant?s other stakeholder, saying it was a silent partner arrangement.

The restaurant?s menu was something Mr. Caparra was also keeping under wraps for now, with all to be revealed next week when he opens first to invited guest at a special launch dinner on Thursday evening, March 18.

He told he and sous-chef Prospero Russo would be offering diners a ?fusion? menu described as ?Mediterranean; from southern Europe, but with an Asian influence?.

He said the staples of the Mediterranean diet (?olive oil, grilled vegetables, and seafood, seafood, seafood... including oysters and caviar?) would feature heavily in the menu, along with a ?good wine list? strong on Mediterranean vintages.

Originally from southern Italy, Mr. Caparra came to the Island in May, 1985 to work as a chef. But he packed in working for someone else last April and set his sights on redeveloping the Church Street space, formerly kitchen shop Kitchen Korner. Going out on his own was something he said was in keeping with family tradition: ?I always wanted my own restaurant. It was normal; my family have always been self-employed.?

Mr. Caparra said he had had his eyes set on the Church and Parliament street site for its restaurant potential ever since moving to Bermuda.

?I noticed it on daily trips to the general post office.?

As for the look and layout of the restaurant, Mr. Caparra said: ?I pictured what I wanted the restaurant to look like from day one. I could always visualise it this way.?

Mediterranean boasts an outdoor patio for al fresco dining and a stylish downstairs dining room ? where diners can see into the open kitchen. There is also an executive meeting room that can be hired out for corporate lunches and dinners.

Mr. Caparra said the restaurant, which got its liquor licence last week, could accommodate about 120 diners in total.

Awash in Mediterranean yellows, blues and terracotta tones, the restaurant walls also feature inlaid, handpainted murals from local artist Jason Jones.

Mr. Caparra credited Shy architecture with creating the interior and exterior of Mediterraneo.