Italian $ $$$ It’s golden hour. Your eyes are turned towards the horizon. The promise of night floods the sky with possibility.
A chilled spritz rests in your curled fingers, while the first sip of pink grapefruit and prosecco dances on your tongue. The only thing that could be better is someone whispering seductive words in your ear. And then it happens: “The burgers have arrived.
” We’re at Gigi Rooftop, the summer-only sundeck that has just opened for its fourth season above Umberto Espresso Bar. There are plenty of new rooftops in Melbourne, but there’s still nothing like this one. I’m not saying it’s spectacular, exactly – the view to Thornbury’s north is suburbia – but there’s something special about climbing above uber-urban High Street and hitting a faceful of sky.
To get to this proletarian paradise, you wend your way through Umberto, a classic Italian casalinga, the bedrock of a 15-year-old Thornbury restaurant group that also includes cheeky Joanie’s Baretto and bijou pasta and wine bar Pastificio Sandro. The group is Italian at heart, springing from owner Marco Finanzio’s desire to honour his father Umberto’s Calabrian food heritage. Gigi is a bit different: it’s the next-gen Aussie upstart, adding a bit of Naarm nous to the Euro-leaning portfolio.
High Street is jam-packed with bars, cafes and restaurants – but this is its best section The menu is snacky and only tangentially Italian. Those American cheeseburgers are easy drinking f.
