Beloved Kew restaurant is moving to a bigger, well-known location (but don’t worry, it’s not going far)
In a further sign that Kew is having a moment, High Street restaurant Mister Bianco is moving to the site most famously formerly known as Hellenic Republic.
On the eve of its 13th birthday, chef Joseph Vargetto has suddenly closed his southern Italian restaurant Mister Bianco in High Street, Kew, and sent his staff on holiday.
Next month, he will reopen an expanded Mister Bianco in Cotham Road, closer to Kew Junction, in the premises occupied until recently by Sardinian restaurant Vita, Cotham Dining, and Turkish bar Nazar. Many patrons will remember the building better as George Calombaris’ Hellenic Republic.
“All of a sudden sleepy Kew is waking up.”Joseph Vargetto, chef
The 300-seat two-level building is a big step up from the old Mister Bianco, which had 80 seats across two atmospheric but cramped dining floors.
“I’ve been looking for something that would allow us to grow,” says Vargetto. “My first thoughts were to renovate where we were on Kew hill, but our lease was coming up and then this opportunity down the road came before me. It’s the right time.”
Vargetto is keenly aware that Kew is experiencing something of a revival. “The Skinny Dog hotel has done a huge fitout, Clifton Hotel is amazing, Studley Park Boathouse looks great,” he says. “All of a sudden sleepy Kew is waking up.”
Another key mover in Melbourne’s Italian restaurant scene is taking care of food and beverage at the Clifton’s flagship restaurant Puttanesca, a few hundred metres away on the other side of Kew Junction. Vargetto hasn’t yet let new neighbour Guy Grossi know that he’s opening an Italian restaurant within operatic earshot. “If Mr Grossi needs a kitchenhand, I’m available for the next few weeks,” says Vargetto.
He’s conceiving Mister Bianco 2.0 as an Italian municipal edifice. The building will be called Mister Bianco, the 80-seat restaurant will be Bianco, the 40-perch bar will be Bianchetta (a wine grape), and an upstairs function space for 150 people will be called Sala di Festa.
“My first thought is community,” says Vargetto. “Three venues under one roof where you can share stories and make memories.”
There are no pangs about leaving his home of 13 years. “We are just down the road,” he says. “It’s a progression, the staff are excited, we have new toys to play with and opportunities to grow. We are teenagers now and we need a rumpus room.”
Mister Bianco will open at 28 Cotham Road, Kew, in mid-October.
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Dani Valent is a food writer and restaurant reviewer.