MELBOURNE | Salvatore Giorgio has been cooking Italian food in Melbourne for almost 20 years. Chances are, you might have eaten Salvatore’s food without realising it, if you’ve been to Bar Rosella, Scopri, or Bar Bambi, just to name a few. Newly opened Bar Taralli, in North Melbourne, is Salvatore’s first restaurant as an owner, and I recently visited for What’s On Melbourne.
It’s a cosy, welcoming space. When you walk in, you’re greeted with a smile and a curved bar, complete with a jar of the restaurant’s namesake, the Southern Italian cracker snack, taralli. There’s banquet dining and low tables to one side, tall tables on the other, and a large alfresco area out the front. Empty bottles of wine and amaro grace the shelves, while playful posters and Italian artwork and photography, grace the walls.
The menu at Bar Taralli is a celebration of Italy’s south. Dishes lean heavily on the food of Campania, where Salvatore’s family is from, and Puglia, where he lived for several years, and his partner Grazia is from. Sicilian and Calabrian dishes round out the menu. It’s simple, rustic food, with a focus on bold flavours, featuring the best local and Italian produce.
Housemade ‘nduja is served warm, ready to be dipped with focaccia. Order it, along with fave e cicoria, the classic broad bean puree with chicory sauteed in garlic and chilli. Fans of octopus should try the outstanding polpo alla luciana – chargrilled octopus legs with tomato, capers, and olives, atop garlic and chilli salsa.
The “Primi” section of the menu contains things like spaghetti all’Assassina, lasagna al ragu’ Genovese, and the crunchy seafood risotto, riso al salto con nero. For “Secondi”, there’s options like capretto al forno – slow cooked goat on the bone, potato, peas, and pecorino; and a personal highlight for me, bombette Pugliesi. It’s tender pork scotch stuffed with caciocavallo and herbs, wrapped in pancetta, cooked over coals.
It’s classic desserts and cheese for dessert. I recommend trying Salvatore’s take on tiramisu, azza di caffe’. It’s an edible cup, filled with coffee and Kahlua zabaglione, ricotta mousse, and chocolate coffee beans.
To drink, there’s a thoughtful list of local and Italian wines, with around 11 drops available by the glass at any given time. There’s also Italian beer, classic and house cocktails, and an assortment of digestives, including several interesting amaros.
Bar Taralli
12 Errol Street
North Melbourne
Victoria 3051
Australia
Telephone: 0481 171 955
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Mon – Tue: 5:30pm to 10:30pm
Wed – Sun: 12:00pm to 3:00pm, 5:30pm to 10:30pm