Restaurant review: Roma, Callum Hann and Themis Chryssidis’ new Italian eatery with a well-versed past
The verdict is in on MasterChef alumnus Callum Hann’s refreshed CBD restaurant. Our reviewer says that while it’s ticking plenty of boxes, it might be best to avoid on a first date.
SA Weekend
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Looks aren’t everything, but when food entrepreneur Callum Hann and business partner Themis Chryssidis decided to flip Eleven they wanted to give it an extreme makeover.
Eleven was “dark and handsome”, as SA Weekend’s regular restaurant reviewer Simon Wilkinson noted soon after it opened in 2021, when referring to its black, copper and deep green decor.
In its place, Roma, a modern Italian restaurant, has a fit out Chryssidis describes as “light, bright, casual and fun”.
Just don’t go there for a serious first date. Roma is very brightly lit. While not fluorescent, it’s not flattering light.
That said, there’s plenty of eye candy such as musk-coloured terrazzo table tops, red and pink striped seating, and a large, attractive undercover outdoor area sure to be popular for summer parties.
Just don’t expect cheesy (but very much to this diner’s taste) old favourites like Dean Martin’s Amore with your pasta.
On this quiet Thursday night, what is quite literally a blast from the past Inner Circle’s Sweat (A La La La La Long) pumps out of the speakers. Loudly. Background music should be just that, not overpowering.
But whatever Roma might lack in ambience, for those of us who prefer to dine by candlelight to a soft jazz soundtrack, it makes up for in other, arguably more important, areas – such as service.
The staff are super switched-on. As is the drinks list, which is presented on an iPad.
The extensive range of wines by the glass gets a shout out for its Italian grape varieties, such as fiano, vermentino and montepulciano.
When I ask about cocktails, I am cordially invited to choose between the house specialties, with each described to me in detail.
I choose the Valentina. It’s like a Cosmopolitan, but with cranberry swapped for cherry and raspberry and triple sec for Luxardo, making for a much more sophisticated tipple.
Martini lovers are also satisfied, not least because they are asked whether they like it dirty or not. My partner picks a dirty gin martini and savours every drop.
We pore over the menu. Roma’s dishes, designed to be shared, are, Hann says, “fun, relaxed and non-intimidating”.
He’s right, especially about the prices, which are on par with those you would find in the ’burbs, which is a nice change for a city restaurant.
We take our time ordering and are given a friendly warning that our starters and main might not come out separately because the kitchen is closing soon.
Serves us right for booking 8.30pm on a school night (that said, closing time was listed online as 11.30pm).
Our waitress, from Paris, is all class. She returns to tell us it’s all good and brings us clean plates, cutlery and napkins with each new course, which is a nice touch.
The starters arrive. The lamb arrosticini is cooked well, if underseasoned.
But, the mushroom arancini is far from ordinary. Its earthiness, complemented by rich black garlic mayo and bitey pecorino, ruins us for every other rice ball canape.
Speaking of unforgettable, did I mention we recently returned from Rome, where we had the best spaghetti carbonara we’ve ever tasted?
A version of the dish is on the menu at Roma but maybe Italians do it better so we choose the casarecce – a short pasta.
While Aussie restaurants sometimes overdo pasta with oozing sauces, the dish’s sumptuous, mildly spicy pork and fennel ragu is, as my partner notes appreciatively, “once over lightly and all the better for it”.
Our side of broccolini is chargrilled so it has just the right crunch, but the shallot oil seasoning is a tad too salty.
Dessert more than makes up for it. Roma’s Salted blood orange panna cotta, Campari granita, rosemary sherbet is all that.
An enormous serve of each has been plopped on to a plate, with little care for presentation, but the proof is in the pudding.
The panna cotta is creamy perfection and the granita-sherbet tantalisingly tangy. Either alone would have been a very sweet treat. Together, a double delight, despite looking less than appetising.
Perhaps, if they dimmed the lights a little …
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