Enoteca Boccaccio wine bar opens above cult Balwyn grocer, wine store Boccaccio Cellars
The Italian family behind a popular inner-east grocer and wine store, boasting an epic cheese and charcuterie range, is set to open a wine bar.
Food
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The family behind an Italian deli with a cult following in Melbourne’s inner east will soon add a wine bar to their portfolio.
Boccaccio Cellars owner Anthony D’Anna and his family will launch Enoteca Boccaccio above their Balwyn shop, which opened in 1973.
The 55-seater will serve aged cheese, Italian-imported cured meats and small plates, with D’Anna open to hosting pop-up kitchen takeovers in the future.
“Over the years, Boccaccio has become a great community. We want our customers to come to a place, relax, and eat some delicious food with family and friends,” he said.
“There are so many great restaurants around us, I didn’t want to create another one, I wanted to do something different.”
Enoteca will offer BYO wine nights twice weekly to allow wine lovers to crack open a bottle they’ve been saving for a special occasion.
D’Anna says Enoteca was inspired by his favourite Italian venues, including popular Florence wine bar Il Santino.
Most smallgoods and wine will be imported from Italy, including top drops from the D’Anna family cellars in Tuscany and Barolo.
Enoteca Boccaccio will open in Balwyn from Wednesday to Sunday, for lunch and dinner, from March 2022.
GUMTREE-LINED STREETS INSPIRE GIN
Melbourne’s gumtree-lined streets have inspired a new native botanical gin.
After a few gin and tonics, inspiration struck for Niyoka Bundle and Taka Gin was born. She viewed it as a way to keep busy in lockdown while demand for her other business, Pawa Catering, slowed.
“The market is saturated with native gins and to stand out, you either have to have a lot of money or a unique idea,” Bundle said.
“We didn’t have the money, so we had to do something different.
“We use a lemon-scented gum leaf in our gin. When you crush the leaf it produces a nice scent and has a real citrusy taste.”
Traditional botanicals like juniper and coriander are distilled with Taka’s unique native ingredients like lemon-scented gumleaf and native lemongrass.
Preston distiller Gypsy Hub helps make Taka, which means taste in Bundle’s native Gunditjmara language from southwest Victoria.
Bundle’s mother and Aboriginal artist Vicki Couzens also designed the label.
Taka Gin costs $90 for 700ml. takaginco.com.au
LILLIAN’S LOCKED DOWN
Lillian Terrace, the second restaurant inside Chris Lucas and Martin Benn’s behemoth Society at 80 Collins, was forced to postpone its opening when Victoria entered its sixth lockdown on Friday. The restaurant is said to be less formal than Society’s main dining room, with a euro-style, a la carte menu inspired by Benn’s early career in the UK.
Head chef Thomas Woods (ex-Woodlands House) will helm the kitchen, making dishes such as charcoal-roasted crown of chicken, braised ox cheek and a playful twist on the pastry dessert Napoleon Mille Feuille.
Lillian Terrace is named after Melbourne icon Lillian Wightman, known for her famed Collins St fashion store, which can be seen from Lillian’s dining room.
Post-lockdown, Lillian’s will be open daily for lunch and dinner.
SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Eco-warrior Joost Bakker’s Future Food System residency at Fed Square’s River Terrace will continue until June 2022.
Melbourne chefs Matt Stone and Jo Barrett have called the self-sustaining urban farm home since early this year and will continue living off the produce grown on-site.
OH SO FRENCH
Quaint French cafe Tapenade has opened on Commercial Rd in Melbourne. Run by Bistro Gitan alumni Laurie Faget and Kevin Chassagne, the couple will sell French favourites croque monsieur, quiche lorraine and focaccia and olive tapenade made by Laurie’s grandmother. House-baked madeleines and coffee are sure to lure the morning crowds.
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 8am to 4pm.