Rossi restaurant review 2023: Kara Monssen visits Prahran’s party venue

Prahran’s lively new restaurant gets the party started over dinner with spaghetti-stuffed arancini, knock-your-socks-off gnocchi and live music

Rossi Prahran knows how to get the party started.

Nothing reveals your age quite like restaurant noise levels.

A little “doo-wop, shake your groove” thing is crucial to fun dining times – within reason – but the whole “giant speakers, small room” dynamic at Rossi had me nervy.

You see, Prahran’s new plaything is run by a bunch of certified party animals.

Nick Young (of Pinchy’s lobster roll fame), Ben White and Anthony Beltrame were behind the revival of St Kilda beach club Riva, and they also run southside nightspots including The Emerson and Electric Bar.

I’d also heard the place could turn from early bird dinner spot to a rambunctious, “kick your heels up” type of joint when the DJ or band rocked up.

As the night goes on, perhaps, but early in the piece it’s not loud, food’s decent and the vibe will get you up and about.

The perfect way to eat your greens.

Rossi, in three months, has worked a groove into Greville St’s fabric. She’s loveable and lively, like her long-time Italian predecessor Ladro Tap, spinning the same pizza and pasta tricks for youngish Chapel St crowds.

She looks similar, with those large street-facing warehouse windows, white brick walls and easy-clean studded-rubber floors. Just add more faux indoor plants, gold-framed mirrors, a roaring fireplace and twinkling mood lights for charm.

Rossi could easily be written off as another trivial boozer where food comes second to average drinks and boogie times, though it’s clear the team’s upped the kitchen stakes.

Knock your socks off gnocchi? Yes please.

Rossi’s cute take on arancini

Ex-Vue de monde and Pinchy’s chef Thibault Boggio is putting his French touch on a roll call of predictable Italian hits.

Burrata? Tick. Tiramisu served tableside from an obnoxiously large plate? Present. Large format crustacean or prawn spaghetti? Bingo!

So I’ll eat around the obvious.

The one-bite parmigiana choux, hatted with wagyu bresaola and caviar ($12) ooze with gooey bechamel made from aged parmigiano upping the salty funk. Big tick for perfect pastry.

Arancini ($7) bounce with spaghetti, mushrooms and parmigiano reggiano bechamel instead of rice and red sauce, a surprisingly delicious pivot.

Sicilian chef Fabio Billante (ex-Ciao Cielo) is on wood-fired pizza duty. He uses a two-day old, cold fermented dough to create those millimetre-fine, cushy crust pies. He spins your classic margarita, prosciutto, four-cheese and seafood numbers, though I loved folding slices of prawns and smoked mozzarella on pesto green in the nerano ($31).

Things take a French turn with the parmigiana choux.

The restaurant trend of 2023. Tiramisu served tableside in an obnoxiously large bowl.

Knock your socks off gnocchi ($31) is hard to come by, though Boggio nails the brief with squishy-firm nibs tumbled through a sun-dried tomato pesto, goats cheese and pine nuts.

The tiramisu ($15) is also on point, pulsing with a heady shot of espresso and fluffy mascarpone; you’ll want another scoop.

And if you’re just here for drinks, there’s a decent mix of local, French and Italian wines, spritzes and cocktails on pour.

What’s most refreshing is Rossi isn’t pretending to be anything it’s not. For a place refilling the bathroom Aesop bottles with supermarket handwash (we all do it) and rubber floors, it’s not trying to compete with the Krug and caviar crowds. Nor does it need to.

Rossi is doing proper Italian eats, decent drinks and bops that won’t burst your eardrums in a fun space – a pretty good deal for this 30-something gal.