Una Una

Overview

Many hospo veterans want to one day own their own space, and it doesn't always happen, except for cases like Una Una. This Box Hill spot is the passion project of owner Sam Hatherley, who spent 20 years working in hospo, including at Neil Perry's Rosetta Ristorante. Named after his daughter, it came about like so many great ideas, when Hatherley stepped back to play stay-at-home dad in the depths of Victoria's COVID lockdowns.

Hatherley identified a missing niche in Box Hill, a step between work and home, where locals could settle in for good food and drink without having to trek it further into the city. Una Una fills that niche, initially as a cafe, now existing in a hybrid form, transitioning between a cafe and a bistro by day and night, respectively.

During the daylight hours, the team stocks focaccia sandwiches, made fresh daily and toasted to order, alongside classic coffee and some specialty drinks too (think Italian whipped coffee cream, whipped orange coffee and house-made almond-lemon soda or walnut cola).

Then from 5.30pm on Friday and Saturday, the space becomes an intimate neighbourhood bistro, serving a seasonal menu that uses fresh market fare alongside cocktails shaped by Hatherley's bartending experience.

The spring dinner menu, crafted by an ex-chef of Bo Innovation, Juan Amado and Rosetta Ristorante, features tuna crudo, chargrilled calamari, lamb katsu, and signature roast duck breast. In terms of cocktails, you can sip classics and signatures like the Sunflower, Gin Fashion, Jasmine, Dirty Smoked Olive Martini, Tokyo Style Martini, Sgroppino, and Vanilla/Braulio Shakeado.

No matter what time of day, there's a focus on quality over quantity, with just four tables for dining in and a one-pager menu that rotates every two or three months to keep things new for every visit.

Images: supplied