The next generation of Italian restaurants across South Australia
A new generation is serving the next course of Italian food – some going back to their origins, others offering a contemporary twist.
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Pizza, pasta and other cucina have been constants on Adelaide’s dining landscape for many years, and restaurants such as Chianti and Amalfi remain as popular as ever.
However, a new wave of venues is shaking things up, many blurring the lines between eateries and bars – as they would in Rome, Naples and beyond.
Struggling to keep up?
This is our guide to enjoying la dolce vita:
L’ITALY
WHAT: Another one from the team behind Ruby Red Flamingo and Tony Tomatoes, led by creative mastermind Walter Ventura.
What was the Hawaiian-themed Beach Bum, then the single-dish spaghetti pop-ups, now has a more permanent presence in O’Connell St as the relaxed eatery L’Italy. Expect lots of smaller plates that go well with a glass of vino, which has a huge presence here, lining the walls, filling the cellar – and most likely your glass.
WHO: Manager Riccardo Puccio is from Rome and came to Australia 14 years ago, to work with the Merivale group in Sydney, before moving to Adelaide and Ruby Red Flamingo.
Chef Joe Carey comes from Melbourne and has spent time at highly rated Victorian regional restaurant Brae. Barman Daniel Romeo learnt his tricks mixing drinks at bars around Lake Como in northern Italy.
EAT: Come for a snack and you may find yourself staying for dinner. That’s the thinking behind L’Italy’s menu, which is weighted more towards snacks (stuzzichini) and smaller (piccoli) serves to nibble with a drink.
Start with a square of polenta topped with olive, celery and pecorino, before working up to king george whiting crudo or crisp pigs’ ears with chilli and radicchio. Worked up an appetite?
The lasagnetta pasta with mussel ragu or rolled pork with caponata should do the trick. Chef Joe and his team are doing it all from scratch, breaking down whole beasts and sourcing seafood via Fair Fish SA, so expect dishes to change regularly.
DRINK: Take a vino adventure through the leg of Italy from Veneto in the north to Sicilia in the south.
The list is 100 bottles strong and growing, with more than two-thirds imported, many at affordable prices.
While there are only a dozen listed by the glass, Riccardo says he will open a barolo if that is what a customer wants.
47 O’Connell St, North Adelaide, 8361 8714, litaly.com.au
ORSO
WHAT: Like a cosmopolitan Milanese businessman, Orso might travel throughout the Mediterranean, but it still retains a strong Italian accent.
That’s not surprising, given it is owned and operated by Andre Ursini, who has combined with his architect father to give a new lease of life to a magnificent two-storey bluestone property on Kensington Rd. The former furniture showroom (and one-time butcher shop) has been transformed into a restaurant and separate bar/deli (Willmott’s) in which every design element has the stamp of quality. Check out the front door handle, the slabs of marble and the expanse of kitchen that wouldn’t be out of place in a major hotel.
WHO: Andre’s northern Italian background has always been prominent, from his early appearances on MasterChef to his first restaurant, Andre’s Cucina, where the polenta is still a feature.
His interests have expanded to include a large catering business and a property at Mylor where he has established vegetable gardens and orchards.
Orso, however, is by far the most ambitious of them all, with a team pulled together over the past two years, including head chef Will Doak, who came from Press.
EAT: While hummus and chipotle aren’t exactly in the realms of classic cucina, there is plenty on the Orso menu to put a smile on Nonna’s face.
Potato croquette with taleggio and Calabrese chilli, for instance, or a trio of pastas such as pappardelle with braised rabbit, raisins and sage.
Even the signature XO sauce that comes slathered over a whole flounder is a concoction of ingredients such as parmesan rind, air-dried tuna, mushrooms and pancetta, rather than the Chinese standard. Ricotta parfait with lemon cream and fennel granita is a refreshing finish in every sense.
DRINK: The broader Mediterranean influence is most obvious in Orso’s impressive wine list, where the labels from Spain and Portugal easily outnumber the Italians.
Still, there is room to feature the prestigious Piedmont producer Vietti, with a range
of barolo, barbera and other varieties.
36 Kensington Rd, Rose Park, 8364 1008, orsokensington.com.au
COCCOBELLO
WHAT: Ciao bella! This elegant newcomer in Glen Osmond Rd is sure to turn heads.
Terrazzo floors have the lustre of a freshly polished Ferrari, the ceiling is lined in timber slats and the colour scheme blends mottled taupe walls with touches of dusty pink and other lipstick tones.
A series of different spaces means there is plenty of room for all. It all has the big-budget
feel befitting this eastern suburbs locale.
WHO: The team here has a strong track record, being instrumental in the success
of the mischief-making Ruby Red Flamingo and its pizza-throwing offshoot Tony Tomatoes.
Lauro Siliquini and Katherin Stauffer will look after the front, while Enzo Verdino and Matteo Barison run the kitchen.
Having nailed it in North Adelaide, early indications are they have another winner on their hands.
EAT: A greatest hits collection from the aforementioned venues are blended with a few new options in a menu that should keep everyone content.
A dozen or so pizzas (broccolini, anchovies, stracciatella, perhaps) lead the way, while half as many pastas include a handmade veal and prosciutto tortellini that can be eaten “in brodo” or with bolognese.
Other cucina builds from an excellent traditional tonnato to polenta with sauteed mushrooms or sliced scotch fillet steak with crunchy potatoes.
DRINK: A democratic approach to the vino should win plenty of friends.
A shortish list, blending locals and Italian imports, has plenty for under $50.
Even better, most of the bottles are available by the glass or in a 500ml pour, which seems ideal for two.
209 Glen Osmond Rd, Frewville, 7225 9599, coccobello.com.au
MALLOZZI
WHAT: Italy’s aperitivo bars are the inspiration for this split-level venue with ties to Orana and Bistro Blackwood a few doors away on Rundle St.
The red, white and
green entrance leads past
a salumi bar to the open kitchen upstairs.
Find a perch at one of the stools here to watch the chefs in action.
Drinks are prepared downstairs, though the same offering applies throughout.
WHO: While Jock Zonfrillo is best known for his work with Australia’s indigenous ingredients, Mallozzi draws on his Italian background.
Family portraits feature on the walls and in the drink coasters, while the bold paste-up posters have been a favourite since he was a child.
Co-owner and drinks supremo Shaun Lau also comes from Orana, as does chef Stefano Magrofuoco.
EAT: Small and affordable plates of salumi, cheeses and “spuntino” snacks such as a wonderfully light potato croquette, toasted mortadella and cream cheese sandwich (or tigelle), and the Venetian classic bar plate of fried sardine topped with sweet-and-sour pickled onions
and raisins.
DRINK: All the bases are covered, with an all-Italian wine list, beers, cocktails, amaro and even a trio of grappa. Saluti!
279 Rundle St, city, mallozzi.com.au
UMBRIA
WHAT: A little piece of regional Italy has just been dropped on to the main road through Clare.
An 1860s chaff mill, stripped back to show off the original stonework and rugged timber beams, makes the perfect setting for owner-chef Edoardo Strappa to cook the pasta and other Umbrian dishes that are close to his heart.
WHO:Edoardo first came to attention at his restaurant Pinocchio in Unley Rd, which closed in 2014.
After working in a few other kitchens for other bosses, and with a baby on the way, he and his wife decided to move to the country and settled on Clare.
EAT: Hard to go past Edoardo’s pasta, particularly his signature ravioli, filled with port-braised kangaroo, which he says is a good substitute for the Umbrian wild boar.
Other popular choices include gnocchi with prawns and asparagus, and umbricelli (large spaghetti) with rabbit, rosemary and black olives.
Non-pasta eaters can opt for confit duck legs marinated in herbs and orange, or even the pizza that is a recent side-project but not yet featured on the menu.
DRINK: The best of the Clare Valley blended with a handful of lesser-known Italian labels, including some from Umbria, should keep both visitors and local winery folk happy.
Compare a nero d’avolo from Sicily with the version made by Kirrihill or Mount Horrocks.
308 Main North Rd, Clare, 0414 157 974, umbriarestaurant.com.au
400 GRADI
WHAT: This Melbourne-born Napoli pizzeria e cucina is a perfect fit for the Parade in Norwood.
Charismatic waiters greet you at the door and chaperone you to a table in this gold and beige hued 130-seat space filled with chatter, charm and the aroma of wood-fired Neapolitan pizza.
WHO: While 400 Gradi is famous as the home of pizzaiolo Johnny di Francesco, winner of the Specialita’ Tradizionale Garantita division at the Campionato Mondiale Della Pizza, the Norwood outpost boasts award-winning pizza makers such as Salvatore
Verde, who has competed internationally. It’s a place that attracts and nurtures talent.
Johnny has also served as a judge at the World Pizza Championships so he has an eye for a good hire.
EAT: The must-try is the margherita verace pizza – awarded World’s Best Pizza 2014 – but team it with a capricciosa or house-made pasta (the casarecce is a
winner here).
The pizza and pasta offerings are so good it would be easy to overlook the fact that they also have plump Coffin Bay oysters, a dry-aged rib eye, braised lamb and fantastically fresh barra.
DRINK: For the Adelaide launch, Johnny worked with SA vineyards to source wines that complement the menu.
There are also some Italian classics. The beers are a mix of the old country and new SA craft options, too: Pirate Life, Peroni and the hard-to-find standout Birra Menabrea.
121 The Parade, Norwood, 400gradi.com.au
NIDO
WHAT: In various forms of The Pot over many years, this comfortably squeezy eatery on King William Rd has had an influence to belie its size.
Now, rebadged as Nido (Italian for nest), that looks set to continue, with a passionate young couple in charge of the kitchen and plenty of hospitality nous to oversee proceedings.
This is a place where you can order a $500-plus bottle of boutique bubbles (though most will settle for comparatively humble prosecco), while listening to The Pretenders, Boy George and other hits of the ’80s. There is even a selection of vinyl for later in the night.
While the bones of
the room remain the same, the space has been decluttered, making more of a feature of its black tiles and sleek pencil lights.
WHO: Simon Kardachi and partners have already established their Italian cred with the beguiling piazza ambience and kitchen craft of Osteria Oggi. This gives Nido a solid foundation for the husband-and-wife combination of Max Sharrad and Laura Cassai to show off the handmade pasta and other Italian dishes to which they are both drawn through their family ties.
Chris Woodcock and Laura Dimasi keep good times rolling out front.
EAT: Following the lead of Italy’s village bars, Nido hopes that locals will drop by for a quick glass of something on the way home, as well as a
full meal.
So it offers plenty of snack options, including its own version of the anchovy on toast (here with stracciatella and fermented chilli) that has become a Kardachi signature, or the more subtle delights of freshly picked blue swimmer and pickled cucumber.
The pasta making is Laura’s domain and her gently rolled and pinched farfalle (bow-tie shape) works brilliantly with a sauce of shredded cavolo nero, silverbeet and chilli that becomes trapped in the folds.
For something meatier, look for the piece of sirloin displayed under a glass cloche on the counter and nominate how thick you’d like your steak.
DRINK: Get into the swing of aperitivo time with signature mixes such as the Ameritonic or Vermouth Calling.
Italian varieties dominate the wine selection, whether produced at home or away, with many choices around the $50 mark, but also a top-shelf Barolo or two.
160 King William Rd, Hyde Park, 8373 2044, nidobarpasta.com.au
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