Orso’s Italian accent

Andre Ursini’s second restaurant, Orso, will be a broadly European bistro that still reflects his Italian heart.

Andre Ursini with team members head chef Will Doak and Simon Lambert. Photo: Tricia Watkinson

• Read more about Andre Ursini’s new diner

Andre Ursini’s second restaurant, Orso, will be a broadly European bistro that still reflects his Italian heart.

As revealed in The Advertiser on Monday, Orso and the adjacent delicatessen/bar Willmott’s Gastronomia are the culmination of a two-year project to transform a historic two-storey bluestone property on Kensington Rd.

First look: Andre Ursini's new restaurant Orso and deli complex Willmotts Gastronomia. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Alongside the design and building work, Andre has also been collaborating with head chef Will Doak to develop the style of food for Orso, as well as putting the right structure and staff training in place.

The first menu builds from snacks and smaller dishes such as octopus with sobrasada (spicy raw sausage) and fava beans, through a handful of pastas, to larger mains including lamb with turnip and coal-roasted sugar loaf.

First look: Andre Ursini's new restaurant Orso. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

A separate brunch menu will be available on Sundays, with savoury pastries and a croissant for earlier in the day, but also more substantial plates such as market fish with an “XO” sauce made from parmesan rind, air-dried tuna, mushrooms and pancetta.

“I’ve been working with Will for two years and he has incorporated some of my (Italian) heart,” Andre says.

Willmott’s, named after the family that ran a butcher shop in the building for 80 years, will offer light meals and drinks, as well as selling smallgoods, cheeses and other gourmet lines including relishes and pickles made from produce grown at Andre’s Mylor property.

Orso and Willmott’s will open on Nov 27 at 36 Kensington Rd, Rose Park, orsokensington.com.au