OPENINGS

Chef Rocco Esposito reopens Bar Rosella, his homage to Puglia at 229 Gertrude Street on December 10 2021

Upstairs from Boccaccio in Balwyn comes Enoteca Boccaccio. Centred around Italian cheese and small goods (think truffled Mortadella, fennel salami, proscuitto), the space will house a cheese maturing room, meaning the gorgonzola they sell will be aged longer and served when perfectly ready. Seating 55  with design by the team at Mim Design, the venue will boast a killer back vintage Italian wine list and shared plates of smallgoods and cheese.  The space will be a great addition to the cellars and smallgoods available downstairs.

1050 Burke Rd, Balwyn. 3103

Opening on 17 December, 2021, Peppina will be a showcase of old-fashioned hospitality blended with produce-focused cooking, which will celebrate chef Massimo Mele’s Italian family heritage and gourmet cooking experience which will see Italian dishes given a Tasmanian flair. Mele has been Food Director at Launceston Grain Silos and is excited to open the restaurant, to showcase what he loves most about Tasmania. 

Sitting alongside Mele at Peppina will be Head Chef Glynn Brynes, originally from Melbourne and who moved to the Apple Isle due to his love of Tasmanian produce. Brynes has spent the last six years honing his craft at some of Hobart’s finest restaurants including Garagites, Aloft and Fico. Peppina will include an internal dining courtyard with a sandstone border wall which outlines the building’s heritage features. The restaurant will offer 190 seats along with a private dining room for a further 24 patrons, backed by an open kitchen allowing diners to see meal preparation in action, including a wood-fired oven and open firepit. The menu will see a regularly changing roster of seasonal pastas, locally sourced meats, antipasti and grilled seafood.

A tiny space in Melbourne's East Bentleigh, Neri's Hummus Bar is serving freshly made (in the back production factory) hummus bowls, tahini, Israeli pickles, falafel balls and spicy harissa. It has been Neri's dream for a long time and is part of the larger Tahini Neri business, producing authentic tahini, hummus and harissa.

Neri's is open from 9am - 3pm Fridays only. Find them at the front of the Tahini Neri production facility and grab some goodies to take home to the fridge.

937 Centre Rd, Bentleigh East 3165

Not so much an opening as an addition to the expanding Wonder Pies business. This pretty damned gorgeous silver Airstream vans will be selling Wonder Pies produce on a Spring and Summer 'Pies and Mash' tour. 

Grab all your favourite pies and sweet treats from the vans or book one for your event. Seriosuly, who doesnt love a pie? 

Croissant lovers rejoice. The Melbourne institution that is Lune was due to be opening in Sydney until Delta had her way. So, north to Brisbane to two immaculate Hogg & Lamb-designed spaces beneath the 30 storey The Standard on Manning Street opposite the entrance to Fish Lane, close to our friends at Maeve. They are serving croissants , pain au chocolat, kouign-amann, morning buns, Danishes and cruffins, plus savoury options including Lune’s classic ham and gruyere croissant, with Coffee Supreme supplying the beans.

15 Manning Street, South Brisbane 4101