Sarti

Back to restaurant reviews
6 Russell Place, Melbourne, 9639 7822

My score: 3.5/5

Last year, Sarti floundered after the departure of chef Riccardo Momesso, now at Hawksburn’s thriving Valentino. But owner Joe Mammone knows a few things about reinvention and his laneway restaurant, open since 2005, is re-energised and pumping. It’s a good option for canoodling at the bar, buzzy nights with mates, and business meals (the $40 three-course lunch is a steal).

Chef Paolo Masciopinto moved from Piemonte six years ago and was sous chef at Sarti, before cooking at Stokehouse, North Melbourne’s Sosta, then finding his way back here as head chef. He’s refined Sarti’s modern Italian thrust, creating a friendly catalogue of classics with modest, clever twists. If the hope is that diners will want to eat everything on the menu then the strategy is working. The vitello tonnato is emblematic. The dish, an Italian standard of poached veal and tuna mayonnaise, is given a rethink with sous-vide medium-rare veal and aerated tuna dressing. Pickled onions emphasise the vinegary capers in the dressing, celery leaf sprigs reference the celery-heavy stock in which the veal is traditionally poached. It’s smart but enjoying it is very easy. The pasta list is strong: squid-ink spaghettini is as striking as it is popular; duck tortelli is a sophisticated and autumnal pasta bake. For the latter, lasagna sheets are stuffed with slow-cooked duck, rolled, baked and served with duck jus, chanterelles mushrooms and a cloud of mushroom foam with impressively hefty flavours.

For main course, there are simple grills as well as cheffy composed plates. Lamb shank is braised, pulled from the bone and rolled back to shank shape to serve. It’s pretty but all that fiddling makes it a bit dry. Rich pistachio-crusted segments of bone marrow almost redress the balance. A ‘hot and cold’ tiramisu redux is entirely successful, with zabaglione (frothy sweet wine custard) layered with cool coffee jelly, chocolate wafer and mascarpone. It’s a pleasure to feel the renewed buzz here and enjoy honest, confident food. A large section of the outdoor terrace is soon to become an all-weather function space, another sign that Sarti is facing the future with commitment and optimism.

See their website.

More Italian:

Merchant, Rialto, 495 Collins Street, Melbourne, 9614 7688
The Grossi family’s homage to Venice is a welcoming place to visit for a quick breakfast, oysters and wine, or a comforting bowl of risotto. The menu surprises with its range of snacks, many under $10.

Os Kitchen and Wine Bar, 531 Hampton Street, Hampton, 9533 1922
Hampton is extremely lucky to have Os on hand. The menu is tight and focused, with excellent sharing plates and seasonal dishes such as roast pork with fig and apricot farce.

Bar Idda, 132 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, 9380 5339
Alfredo La Spina’s slice of Sicily serves unpretentious homestyle dishes like potato, sultana and anchovy doughnuts, twirled pasta with beef and pork ragu, and autumn fruits poached in wine and spices.

First published in The Age, April 27, 2014.