On your next wander down Prahran’s bohemian Greville Street, you might hear the faint beats of a DJ set pulsing out from where old pizza favourite Ladro once stood. While a margherita-slinging, beat-making ghost would be a very cool thing to see indeed, something much better awaits. Meet Rossi, a new Italian-inspired cocktail bar and restaurant, and the place to be at happy hour. If the sexy tunes don’t pull you in, the piazza-style seating under cosy heat lamps will.
Settle in with a blueberry Spritz or glass of prosecco, or make a night of it and see what’s for dinner inside. Rossi’s food menu runs the gamut of regional Italian specialties, covering pizza, pasta, antipasti and a trio of traditional dessert favourites: tiramisu, gelato and cannoli. These might sound like dishes you’ve heard of (or eaten!) before, but take note that Rossi’s kitchen is run by ex-Vue de Monde alumni, Thibault Boggio. Once a trainee at Michelin-star fine-dining restaurants in France, here’s a head chef who cares about both creativity and quality, and you'll detect a hint of modern pizzazz in every bite.
Start with 50-gram servings of speck and capocollo (an aromatic pork salume), or try a parmigiana choux with bechamel, Wagyu bresaola, and caviar. If you’re after something a little more cooling on your palate instead, freshly shucked oysters and basil oil-drizzled burrata with tomato coulis and fermented cherry tomatoes will surely hit the spot.
You’ve got four pastas to choose from, including a lasagne bolognese, a mushroomy strozzapreti with pecorino, a pesto gnocchi and a spanner crab spaghettini. But it’s the ten signature pizzas on the menu that stand out, with premium quality imports as their toppings. Think San Marzano sugo, nduja from Calabria, and that stinky – and scrumptious – Taleggio all turophiles (cheese lovers) know and appreciate. A favourite is the salsiccia pizza, jazzed up with confit leeks, smoked buffalo mozzarella and potato crisps.
Impeccably prepared Italian food is usually enough of a drawcard, though there are plenty of other reasons to pay this newcomer a visit. With its moody lighting, lounges and leafy hip courtyard, Rossi promises a boost of bold, edgy energy to the Greville Street strip.
Whether a boozy pizza lunch with friends is calling your name or you’d rather stop by in the wee hours to swill a dark chocolate Negroni from the bar, Rossi makes for a chic new addition to your Southside list. The restaurant operates seven days a week, with late-night food service, live music and a rotation of DJs from Thursday to Sunday. Click here to make a booking.