Overview
St Kilda seems to be the suburb on everyone's lips at the moment. From McConnell's Stokehouse takeover to The Fifth Province's major upgrades, The Saint's big makeover, and soon-to-open spots such as The Snakepit and Ellie Bouhadana's Dafina, the time for a long-overdue revival may be here. Adding to the renaissance is Bar Adri, a European wine bar that's helping revitalise Fitzroy Street.
Bar Adri is the latest project of chef and co-owner Mattia Aloisio and his wife — and the venue's namesake — Adriana. With experience in kitchens across Australia, Italy and Switzerland, and drawing inspiration from his Milanese upbringing and French technique, Aloisio's approach to the kitchen is distinctly European.
"This is a mix of Italian and French. Australian ingredients are the extra kick," says Aloisio. Speaking of Australian produce, dishes showcasing seafood from Australian waters include oysters with leek and champagne sabayon, chargrilled prawns with Tasmanian mountain pepper sugo, and calamari with mustard greens, capers and anchovies.
Designed to accompany late-night drinks, Bar Adri also offers beef brisket cheeseburgers and midnight spaghetti until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Adriana's beverage program puts wine at centre stage, with a list spanning producers across Italy, France and Australia that sits comfortably alongside a concise Italian-inspired cocktail list.
Images: Kit Edwards.
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