First things first. This svelte, grissini-like space isn’t named after Claremont thoroughfare St Quentin Avenue or anyone canonised by a church, but santo bevitore: Italian for “holy drinker” as well as the name of a Joseph Roth novel that touches on the themes of salvation, society and the life-changing power of good booze.
Will bending the arm here lead to transubstantiation, epiphanies or any other minor miracles? That depends on how enthusiastically you throw yourself at Il Santo’s snappy Aus-talian line-up of vino and cocktails. But at the very least, knowing the venue’s origin story should help you picture the kind of vibe that the Il Lido crew was going for when it turned the former Nolita site in Claremont into its vision of a neighbourhood osteria in May.
But whereas Il Lido and its wood-fired spin-off Canteen Pizza both channel the cheery coastal spirit of Cottesloe where they were both born (although Canteen, has since relocated to leafy Applecross) Il Santo is an unapologetically urban proposition. At ground level, the gilded, dimly lit space twinkles like a Crunchie bar. A vivid splash of green in the mezzanine makes me think that one of the design boffins at Studio Gram has a thing for peppermint Aeros. Tables for two hug the walls while the jukebox has been primed with hours of jazzy house music.
Not for Il Santo the homeliness of nonna’s place or the farmhouse purity of cucina agriturismo. Veneto-born chef Nicola Lunardi has assembled a compact menu full of Italo hits and booming, straight-shooting deliciousness. So creamed horseradish, papery slices of raw veal girello and shavings of Piave Vecchio cheese equals textbook carpaccio. Tender tubes of octopus with a perky fermented chilli gremolata are typical of the grilled skewers on offer. A fun prawn cutlet sandwich made with rounds of supermarket white bread owes as much to Italy’s tramezzino as it does the konbini sandos of Japan.
While this is no Il Lido copy-and-paste job, there’s more than a little of the mothership in Il Santo’s DNA. Baked at Canteen, the focaccia is dense of crumb and golden of crust, its brittle cap shattering like good millefeuille pastry. Bitey semolina and egg pastas are extruded at Il Lido and cast as the stars of hefty pastas including a knockout mafaldine paired with a thick braise of borlotti beans. (Desserts including a thick, sweet lemon curd tart are also products of the same kitchen).
This crossover also extends to the personnel. Lunardi, for instance, is executive chef for the group. Sally Lovell and Melanie Watts – group ops manager and senior waitstaff respectively – are a constant presence on the floor and seem to be here, there and everywhere. When they’re moving in sync, they form the most memorable female front-of-house duo since Max and Caroline from Two Broke Girls albeit for very different reasons. They’re professional, knowledgeable, and go about their work with a cheeriness bordering on the saintly.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
