A four-layer slice of Italian flavour and sophistication, the multi-storey Stella is Ali Mousavi's contemporary Aussie take on the classic Italian trattoria. Located on Chapel Street, Stella has become a local go-to for modern Italian meals, plenty of cocktails, and a versatile, multi-dimensional space where patrons can find their preferred place in the design-forward venue. An elegant fitout by Projects of Imagination and SUM Design Studio has lent each space its own identity while tying it seamlessly back to the rest of the building. First, you've got the historic bluestone walls and back-lit cabinets of cellared vino gracing the subterranean private dining room. Up on the ground floor, a light-filled restaurant space makes a statement of the kitchen's impressive Golden Onyx Marana Forni pizza oven; while above sits a moodier lounge bar lined with emerald banquettes and sporting a hand-crafted light installation hung with hundreds of glass bottles. One floor further is the openair rooftop terrace, with its lush vertical garden and vistas across the inner-south. The menu draws on Mousavi's love of Italian cooking, with influences from his Persian heritage. Sipping and snacking types will be particularly happy lounging in the cocktail bar over oysters with ponzu, crispy prosciutto croquettes, and a caviar experience with all the trimmings. If you're settling in for the night, house-made pasta proves a highlight, with options like lamb ragu pappardelle, spanner crab and prawn oil fettuccine, and vodka rigatoni with stracciatella cheese. Meanwhile, pizzas come laden with classic and creative toppings such as prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella, prawns with harissa and olives, and mushroom puree with bechamel sauce, caramelised onions and scarmoza. Stella has also recently launched an all-day brunch offering, available from Friday through Sunday, from 9am to 3pm. And we're not talking any ordinary, avo-on-toast basic brunch. Here you can indulge in everything from a spanner crab omelette to truffle tagliolini with poached egg yolk and garlic cream sauce, to a spinach and egg pizza with Persian labneh. It's the kind of brunch experience that mandates brekkie dessert (shared amongst the table if you must), and you can't go past the cinnamon French toast with vanilla toffee caramel sauce. "Brunch has always felt like the missing piece for us. The Chargrilled Eggplant and Scrambled Eggs are a good example of what we're doing. It's a dish that takes me straight back to Rasht, and putting it on an Italian brunch menu is exactly the kind of thing I want Stella to do. Fusing my love of Italian cuisine and my Persian culture," says Mousavi. The brunch menu is available across all of Stella's dining spaces, and all bookings made in the month of August will come with one complimentary beverage per guest, with your choice of prosecco, a mimosa or a mocktail. "Every level has its own mood, so brunch feels different depending on where you sit. Upstairs on the rooftop it's bright and social, by the fireplace downstairs it's slower, more of a lazy Sunday. Giving people that choice was the idea from day one," Mousavi adds. Images: Supplied. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
