The team behind South Melbourne's Park Street Pasta & Wine have some serious street cred when it comes to crowd-pleasing Italian food. And they expanded that fan base even further when they opened the doors to their new restaurant Osteria Renata in 2022, just a quick hop east in the heart of Prahran.
Co-owners Alex Ghaddab and Gus Cadden (Head Chef) have delivered High Street a warm, modern take on the classic osteria and named it in honour of Ghaddab's Polish-Ukrainian grandmother.
There's a sense of generous hospitality throughout, with a comforting, yet imaginative food offering matched by inviting interiors sporting soft olive accents and natural timbers. An onsite pasta lab steers the menu's carb component, as Cadden embraces both the traditional and the innovative.
A strong lineup of antipasti features the likes of crisp gnocco fritto paired with 36-month-aged Iberico jamon, freshly shucked oysters with amaro mignonette, and brussel's sprouts with gorgonzola, pecorino and lemon.
Otway free-range pork belly with grilled witlof starts off the mains, and the market fish stars Cloudy Bay clams and prosciutto XO. And the limoncello syrup cake is as summery a dessert as it sounds.
Parker Blain
Euro-inspired signature sips rule the cocktail selection at Osteria Renata, and Italian vino is celebrated alongside drops from Australia, France and Spain. A handful of rotating wine taps also offer a taste of what's happening with Italian varietals in the local winemaking game.
The aforementioned pasta lab isn't just be whipping up fresh pasta stocks for the Osteria Renata and Park Street kitchens, but will eventually play host to a program of pasta-making workshops.
Thom Mitchell
Top Image: Parker Blain
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