EAT > Bar Olo, Melbourne (17/20)

Have you ever walked into an unfamiliar bar or restaurant and had that immediate feeling of familiarity? That sense that yep, this is my place. From the moment you pass through the curtains into the small space that is Bar Olo on Nicholson Street, Fitzroy you have a feeling that this is something a little special.   If you are lucky enough to have booked a table (it seems to be almost fully booked for these first few weeks) and you find a seat at one of the small tables or perhaps the bar.

Image Credits | Bar Olo

Perhaps you picked it in the name but there is one drink that sits above others for this new wine bar/restaurant it is of course Barolo.  The Italian wine that is almost as finicky, fine and famous as Burgundy.  Where a bottle can easily cost $400 and with many of the finer vintages retailing for thousands of dollars.  If you are an aficionado for Barolo then Bar Olo has more than 120 Barolos on the wine list, there are even cocktails with a little Barolo in them.

On the night we arrived there were a couple of guys next to us at the bar enjoying a bottle of Ruinart champagne blanc de blanc (an absolute favourite of mine) the bottle sitting in a lovely sliver ice bucket.  The guys just enjoying the wine and a chat at the bar.

Owner Anthony Scutella was moving around the room, checking on orders, chatting to customers, taking jackets and coats away and generally keeping everything moving smoothly along. Scutella (along with partner Alison Foley) also own the Melbourne perennial favourite Scopri and there is no surprise that this new venue keeps a number of the dishes that Scopri is famous for and everything is still just as delicious.

Three of us were dining at the bar (on the corner) and that worked perfectly for sharing the dishes.

The food like the wine is heavily influenced by the Italian region of Pidemont. Sitting at the marble curved bar in high backed velvet stools (with incredibly heavy and solid bases) we started with the Cured snapper, served with radish and finger lime ($26), the snapper served almost paper thin was translucent and incredibly delicious with the acidity from the finger lime and the crunch of the baby radish (also cut as fine as paper).

The ‘Fritto Misto’ ($30) is a basket of mixed fish we had some whiting, prawns, white bait and squid and the batter was as light as tempura, fish fresh and delicious with a hint of chilli. From there we had the Prawn tramezzini ($16) this is the equivalent of prawn cocktail fairy bread and yet it is amazing. White bread (with the crusts cut off) served with a prawn mayo concoction, it is very hard to describe why this is so good, but if you go to Bar Olo you absolutely have to try it.

If ‘Vitello Tonnato’ ($28) is on the menu I find it very hard not to order it. I can not tell you why I love the combination of rare veal, sliced fine and served with tuna mayonnaise but I really do. The Bar Olo version was light on the ‘tonnato’ but the flavour combination was perfect – another hit dish.

There were two pastas being served when we dined, the ‘Agnolottti del Plin’ ($27) a dish that regulars at Scopri would know well, the Agnolotti is stuffed with rabbit, veal and cheese, served in a cheese butter sauce it is a flavour explosion in the mouth. We had the pasta with a ‘Insalata’ ($10) various green salad leaves in a simple dressing, the perfect cut through to accompany the pasta.

A second pasta the ‘Spoja Lorda with Duck & Porcini Ragu’ ($30) was also exceptional it was a perfect accompaniment to the wine (a Barolo of course but more on that in a moment).

Deserts are simple Tiramisu ($17) or Formaggi ($14) both were generous serves and more than enough for the three of us to share.

WINE >

It is a wine bar so much can be said about the wine. The list as mentioned before is substantial and some of the Barolo’s might require you to take out a third mortgage but there are some excellent wines from Australia on offer too. On the night we were in they had 27 wines available by the glass and many of them were excellent.

We took some advice on the Barolo and ended up drinking Icardi from Fossati ($225) a 2016 release that was elegant with plenty of grippy tannins that Barolo wine is famed for. Following the Barolo a glass of fuller bodied Chianti, the Tenuta Mancini ‘Podere Della Filandra’ DOCG ($20) which was good and then a glass of the fabulous sweet wine from Sicily Donnafugata Ben Rye Passito di Pantelleria 2021. If you have not had the Ben Rye before it is an absolute treat as a sweet wine, with its treacle and apricot flavours.

If I have one and it is a small criticism of Bar Olo, it is that they need a few more wines at the slightly more reasonable price point. Even with a reasonable budget for dinner there were not that many wines on the list in our price range and as I am reminded by friends frequently (especially you Sean) I am always the one who orders the better and more expensive bottle. If there were a few more wines in the $90-$120, I think we would have had another bottle and if there are wines at the price, I might even get Sean to come next time.

THE ROOM >

Seating about 40 the room breaks across a few different zones, the round front tables near the door are subtly different from those along the wall in the middle of the restaurant, past the kitchen and hidden around the corner there are more tables along the wall and of course there are seats at the bar. The art on the wall is from a local artist Billy Vanilli who has created stylised works that are perfectly in tune with the bar’s theme. The padded bentwood chairs are comfortable for a longer session, as are the velvet bar stools and the vintage plates add a sense of being. The record booth at the kitchen pass, reminds you that this is a wine bar and the lighting, acoustics and artworks all lead to a sense of a place you want to settle into and make it your local. No wonder that it is a warm up venue for those venturing down the road to Scopri as well as for the staff later on and with a couple of restaurants right next door it is clear that it will always be busy.

CONCLUSION >

I love Scopri, but I love this more. The extremely friendly and casual (but professional) nature of the service, the very Italian way a drink can turn to dinner (or not). A place you can drop in for a glass of your favourite wine and some cheese, or come for a date that will definitely impress.

Yes to me this is an absolute hit. The menu is short, the wine list extensive (though a fraction expensive), and the atmosphere warm and generous, this is my new favourite restaurant in Melbourne, a place that I will be returning again and again. `17/20 because there is a formula to this scoring but I wanted to give it 20/20!

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Image Credits | Crispy for ALMANAK and Bar Olo

(I apologies that most of these pictures show food half eaten… that is my sheer lack of professionalism and the absolute delicious range of flavours that made me jump int first…)

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