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An institution of fine dining for the last 15 years Sosta Cucina in Errol Street North Melbourne has changed hands and is now Sosta Ristorante. But its more than just an ownership change the menu while still Italian is more refined, ingredients are premium with a focus on using Australian ingredients to create delicious meals.
The old Sosta Cucina was reliable, the food classic Italian, the service grumpy but humorous (sometimes frustrating), the wine list patchy.
A return to Sosta see’s a change in rating
from 15/20 > 17/20
We returned to Sosta this week and enjoyed an excellent meal, the quality of the dishes coming from the kitchen were very impressive, the service is both professional but also friendly. The wine list remains very approachable with reasonably priced wines on offer. So we have decided we should lift the rating from 15/20 to 17/20 reflective of the most recent dining. Two points might not seem like much but when you get to the top of the ratings every tiny point counts. They are making great food here and its worth checking out.
Enter the new team co-owner and head chef Alex Tintori is an experienced Italian chef born in Lucca, Tuscany.
Tintori is a keen forager for fresh produce, wild and native ingredients a passion he developed growing up in Tuscany in a family of cooks and chefs.
Things have definitely changed for the better. The room (which while comfortable was starting to get a little stale) has now been fully refreshed, a fresh paint job following classic and stylish lines. There are good white linen tablecloths, the Thonet bentwood chairs remain but the wine glass stemware and plates have jumped up a level.
The formerly ‘patchy’ wine list is now very good with some excellent choices at different price points. And most importantly the food while still Italian is more innovative but it doesn’t just look good, it tastes really delicious.
Amongst the entrees there are choices like Fiori di Zucca -zucchini flowers with ricotta and lemon aspen ($8 ea), Capaesante – Flinders Island half shell scallops with sea parsley and crumb ($8ea) or Stracciatella di Bufala – a buffalo stracciatella, marinated peach, basil and crushed pistachio ($26) YUM.
All good Italian’s have both a Primi Piatti course and a Secondi. Here they usually have four pasta on offer, the Spaghetti al Granchio, a squid ink spaghetti served with Fraser Island spanner crab, bone marrow and crab sauce is rich and delicious ($42), the Cappelletti All’Olio is made with frantolo oil gel, ossobuco ragu and a generous serving of parmigiano ($36).
Secondi has a Barramundi al Mirto Limonoso – Blue Bar Barramundi poached in lemon myrtle and served with mussel agrodolce and potato salad ($45). There is a Western Plains roast pork rack, served with fermented cantaloupe melon and pickled green tomato’s ($45). A roasted half Moorabool duck with native citrus, balsamic orange sauce and cavolo nero ($48). For those who favour a steak they have that too.
Sometimes when a restaurant is an institution and then it changes hands everything takes a while to stabilise, sometimes it never does. But the new Sosta Ristorante team have taken a solid product and lifted it to a new level, this is great food, good service and now it is back on our regular rotation!
This review was originally published 15th December 2023 and updated 15th April 2024.
address |
Sosta Ristorante
12 Errol Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051
03 9329 2882
admin@sosta.com.au
sosta.com.au
hours |
Dinner – Tue > Sat – from 6pm
Lunch – Wed > Fri – 12 to 3pm
