The team behind Williamstown’s Sebastian – Alex and Kelly Brawn, and Dave Parker (also San Telmo Group) – have gone from the bay to the inner ’burbs to open Caffe Amatrice on the ground floor of new Cremorne development Cubitt Place. It oozes low-key luxury, with glossy green marble tables and mustard-yellow tiles throughout. It was named for a mountainous village near Rome, so all things Italian reign at this daytime diner, three years in the making.
Made-to-order focaccias filled with house-roasted porchetta and apple-and-fennel salad, and halloumi-crumbed chicken are already proving popular. Refreshing and caffeinating, coffee granita comes with mascarpone, whipped cream and the optional add-on of brioche. But there’s also a homage to the owners’ Spanish-inspired Sebastian: find its beloved burnt Basque cheesecake here.
And fans of the guanciale-studded amatriciana sauce – a Roman classic – can get it in two forms: with eggs baked into it for brunch, or tangled through a bowl of spaghetti. It’s a sign of things to come at the group’s pasta-dedicated companion restaurant, Amatrice Rooftop, slated to open on the 10th floor of the same building later this spring. “The idea is we’ll have an all-day Italian offering across multiple levels,” says Alex.
Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-3.30pm 16 Stephenson Street, Cremorne, amatrice.
com.au Everything you need to know about the city’s new mega Italian food hub, Il Mercato Centrale.