6 hours Ago By Tomas Telegramma
Rooftop bars are a dime a dozen in Melbourne . But rooftop restaurants? Not so much. That’s was sets Amatrice apart.
The 10th-storey Italian diner opens today as the cherry on top of Cubitt Place, a new, mostly commercial development in Cremorne. From Stephenson Street there’s little sign it exists, but recently opened sibling Caffe Amatrice provides a clue. “A [ground-floor] venue to hint at what’s happening on the rooftop was always part of the plan,” says Alex Brawn, who runs the Amatrices – and Williamstown’s Sebastian – with Dave Parker (also San Telmo Group) and Kelly Brawn, his partner in business and life.
What first strikes you are the views (yes, plural), which differ between spaces and span almost 360 degrees. Gaze from Richmond to the Dandenongs from the greenhouse-like main dining room, completely enveloped by glass but with a scalloped awning for shade. The al fresco, all-seasons main deck looks out across the Melbourne sports precinct and skyline, but there’s also a more intimate smaller deck and a 10-seat private dining room.
Interiors whiz Brahman Perera – designer and co-owner of Entrecote and Hopper Joint – has given the 80-seat restaurant an effortless elegance, with splashes of red (marble tabletops, velvet banquettes), and statement-making sculptural pendant lighting. Inspired by the members-only Soho House rooftops overseas, the team has filled the space with greenery and is shooting for a vibe that’s sophisticated without feeling stuffy. That extends to the menu, from head chef Vincenzo Di Giovanniello (Bar Carolina, Osteria Ilaria ): it’s approachable in its Italian origins but, at times, ambitious in its provenance.
Seldom seen in Melbourne, the star is an IGP-certified dried angel hair pasta that the team had to get a licence to import from the Italian village of Campofilone. Di Giovanniello describes it as “the champagne of pastas” and because of its high egg content, it adds extra richness to the wagyu beef and pork ragu it’s served with. The big four of Roman pastas (the namesake amatriciana, carbonara, cacio e pepe, gricia) are all here too, with either spaghetti or short, tubular mezze maniche.
There’s also inky black Campofilone fettuccine, served with prawns, tomatoes and stracciatella. But pasta isn’t the be-all and end-all. Snacks include citrusy grouper crudo, and globe artichokes fried in the alla giudia Roman-Jewish style.
There’s also cotoletta – made with veal from Fairlight in the Northern Rivers of NSW – with a mustardy apple sauce. And dessert includes bomboloni (doughnut balls) filled with raspberry creme patisserie. Both Amatrice venues are wins for the suburb, but there’s more goodness to come with the opening of Baker Bleu and a soon-to-be-announced Future Future concept nearby.
Alex says, “We’re just one piece of the puzzle of the evolving nature of Cremorne.” Open Wed 4.30pm-late; Thu-Sat noon-late; Sun noon-6.
30pm 16 Stephenson Street, Cremorne, amatrice.com.au Lilac Wine Bar begins to bloom in Cremorne Melbourne favourite Tarts Anon opens first bricks-and-mortar shop.
