No restaurateur sweats the sightlines like Rinaldo Di Stasio. At his off-Lygon restaurant, the Medici of Melbourne’s Italian scene gives the perfect excuse to dress up for pizza thanks to his gallerist’s eye, delivering a masterclass in light, shade and drama. The same artistic traits render classic beef carpaccio or tissue-thin slices of swordfish crudo, zesty with capers and a tangy whey dressing, into perfect still lifes. The cooking’s beautifully cultivated simplicity rests on the shoulders of excellent produce; those perfectly puffy-crusted pizze are worthy of a Neapolitan fever dream and the carbonara, silken with egg yolk, takes no prisoners with its boldly caramelised nubbles of guanciale. The venue’s idiosyncratic charms extend to cheeky Italian-accented waiters, a tick-a-box menu and a Romanesque walled courtyard with more statues than the Vatican, but rest assured your Martini will be served as Bacchus intended – on a silver tray, with olives on ice.
Kristoffer Paulsen
