October 2009
Red food
There’s nothing like a
Chef’s Hat to elevate the reputation of a restaurant. While Fitzroy Street stalwart.Sapore has never suffered from infamy, its recent ‘hatting’ in The Age Good Food Guide (2010) sees it hit a more modish stride.
Head Chef Simon Moss (ex Auckland’s Orbit, One Tree Grill) can take much of the credit for this, with his contemporary European menu dancing with delicacies including Potato Gnocchi with braised rabbit, truffle butter and Parmesan ($19/27) and Veal ‘Osso Buco’ with parsley and lemon risotto, confi t garlic fritti and saffron brodo ($32).
But it’s not just the food that’s attracting the accolades. Sapore’s 145-strong wine list balances boutiquelocals with Italian specialities and comes highly recommended with a Two Glass rating in Gourmet Traveller’s Wine List of the Year Awards ($9—15 glass, $33—361 bottle).
Then there’s the architecture. The sleek, curvilinear interior has turned plenty of heads since Sapore opened in 1996. Internationally renowned architect Tom Kovac challenges the diner’s sense of scale, with plunging ceilings and few straight lines. Giving innovative defi nition to the dining room is a waved wall, which morphs upwards into a 10-metre high ceiling, before curving back down towards the front window. The lighting is also something special, with clustered pendants of articulated, seamed, cast glass spheresreminiscent of fl oating champagne bubbles.
When the current owners took over in 2006, only cosmetic changes were required to enhance the lavish warmth of the original fi t-out. Peter Coronica, Kim Coronica, Luisa Lucchesi & Greg Feck (also of Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder and Brighton’s Florentine) have used textured wall panels, customised upholstery and hand-crafted furnishings to soften the space. With further lighting installations and a full renovation of the private dining room under consideration, it seems there’s more to come from this one-hat wonder.
The Age Good Food Guide 2010Issued September 2009
Sapore
3-5 Fitzroy street, St Kilda 9534 9666
Modern European
15/20 1 hat
Sapore aims to impress... The service strikes a balance between formality and friendliness, and the food delights the eye and palatte.
Qantas Magazine, May 2009
The Australian Way
Open daily and wonderfully positioned so diners can gaze out at Port Phillip Bay through the big windows. The interior is spacious, with timber tables and high undulating ceiling. The food is Italian, the wine list is a pleasing blend of Australian and Italian, and the waiters are welcoming. Start with an antipasto, perhaps to share. Then the pasta dishes are notably good, particularly the gnocchi with braised rabbit, and the linguini with mixed seafood. There are usually some daily specials, perhaps squid ink spaghettini, or braised veal. On sundays there's a lot of street activity, but mondays are quiet. It's worth the visit, though; there's the option of a limited- choice $35/45 Monday and Tuesday Dinner menu featuring the restaurants signature dishes, and including a glass of wine.
Best Restaurants
Rita Erlich review, October 2008
Positioned at St Kilda’s sea end, Sapore restaurant has a great view, serves fine Italian food at fair prices, and is warm and comfortable
On paper, Sapore (which means flavour in Italian) ticks many of the right boxes. Positioned at the Bay end of Fitzroy Street, it possesses an enviable view of the sea, but, regardless of the vista, Sapore is well worth a visit. For a start, it’s an attractive venue, decorated in red, pale caramel and white, with elegant pendant lights cascading down one corner, and solid wooden tables that suggest purposeful eating. It’s the little details that show someone cares about the place - the vase of fresh flowers and the sparkling glasses bring a brightness and freshness to the dining room. However, it is the outside tables that are highly prized at lunch and at sunset.
The food is fundamentally Italian, with some contemporary touches. To begin, the saporetti - little tastes - are always tempting. Also try the citrus salt-cured salmon, which serves up a generous plate of spice-edged slices topped with avocado, iceberg lettuce and poppyseed bread pieces. One of the signature dishes of gnocchi with braised rabbit sauce is truly exceptional; it comes soft and light as gnocchi should be, with a sauce that includes layered tomato, capers and truffle butter. The wine list is well chosen (mainly Australian and Italian) at user-friendly prices. There’s a good range under $50, and an equally good range for higher-end quaffers. The set lunch menu is a great bargain at $25 for two courses, or $35 for three, including a glass of wine. On Monday and Tuesday nights, there’s the option of a good value three-course signature dish menu.
The Age Good Food Guide 2009
Issued September 2008
Sapore
3-5 Fitzroy street, St Kilda 9534 9666
Modern European
14.5/20
Issued September 2009Sapore3-5 Fitzroy street, St Kilda 9534 9666Modern European15/20 1 hat
Sapore aims to impress... The service strikes a balance between formality and friendliness, and the food delights the eye and palatte.Open daily and wonderfully positioned so diners can gaze out at Port Phillip Bay through the big windows. The interior is spacious, with timber tables and high undulating ceiling. The food is Italian, the wine list is a pleasing blend of Australian and Italian, and the waiters are welcoming. Start with an antipasto, perhaps to share. Then the pasta dishes are notably good, particularly the gnocchi with braised rabbit, and the linguini with mixed seafood. There are usually some daily specials, perhaps squid ink spaghettini, or braised veal. On sundays there's a lot of street activity, but mondays are quiet. It's worth the visit, though; there's the option of a limited- choice $35/45 Monday and Tuesday Dinner menu featuring the restaurants signature dishes, and including a glass of wine.Positioned at St Kilda’s sea end, Sapore restaurant has a great view, serves fine Italian food at fair prices, and is warm and comfortableOn paper, Sapore (which means flavour in Italian) ticks many of the right boxes. Positioned at the Bay end of Fitzroy Street, it possesses an enviable view of the sea, but, regardless of the vista, Sapore is well worth a visit. For a start, it’s an attractive venue, decorated in red, pale caramel and white, with elegant pendant lights cascading down one corner, and solid wooden tables that suggest purposeful eating. It’s the little details that show someone cares about the place - the vase of fresh flowers and the sparkling glasses bring a brightness and freshness to the dining room. However, it is the outside tables that are highly prized at lunch and at sunset. The food is fundamentally Italian, with some contemporary touches. To begin, the saporetti - little tastes - are always tempting. Also try the citrus salt-cured salmon, which serves up a generous plate of spice-edged slices topped with avocado, iceberg lettuce and poppyseed bread pieces. One of the signature dishes of gnocchi with braised rabbit sauce is truly exceptional; it comes soft and light as gnocchi should be, with a sauce that includes layered tomato, capers and truffle butter. The wine list is well chosen (mainly Australian and Italian) at user-friendly prices. There’s a good range under $50, and an equally good range for higher-end quaffers. The set lunch menu is a great bargain at $25 for two courses, or $35 for three, including a glass of wine. On Monday and Tuesday nights, there’s the option of a good value three-course signature dish menu. Issued September 2008Sapore3-5 Fitzroy street, St Kilda 9534 9666Modern European14.5/20Sapore has been here since 1995, but new owners- the same team who own Richmond hill cafe & larder - have spruced it up, making the most of the colourful, sculptured interior and sea views from the upper floors.
The food is as pretty as the venue. Dishes lean toward Italy...but there is plenty of French technique, on display in well-worked dishes such as the lively mushroom tart and the satisfying, brandy-spiked duck and pork terrine. Excellent produce is at the core of every dish...
Chef and co-owner Greg Fecks combinations can be complex but flavours are usually clean and distinct; key ingredients are not masked or muddled. The desserts menu includes interesting sweet cocktails, such as the espresso martini, and tricked-up versions of Italian classics, most notable a family recipe for tiramisu with Muscat on the side.
Service is switched on and personable, ensuring sapore works equally well for easy bites as it does for bigger nights.
Dani Valent,
12 February 2008, M Magazine, The Age.
"Sapore is a restaurant that throws out the cookie-cutter and aims for fabulous"
The Age Epicure - September 07
14/20 - John Lethlean
...The distinctive, Gaudi-esque interior curves of Sapore's walls and ceilings have only been enhanced by an interior re-fit that introduces more colour and contemporary luxury to the dining room....
...Stylish in an unchallenging, warm and even cosseting manner. Accessible food with Italian leanings. Good wine list. Friendly, professional service....
...Sapore shows a lot of attention to detail in its presentation and table accessorising; kitchen-front of house liaison and systems seem to function smoothly; and they have some good wait staff, an increasingly difficult-to-make statement about so many Melbourne eating houses....
See our review in The Age:
Michael Harden, WINESTATE Magazine, Nov/Dec 2007.
Sapore’s wine list is designed to showcase exceptional quality wines with an emphasis on supporting local producers. This well-thought-out and balanced list also features a number of fine European wines, with a particular emphasis on interesting Italian wines. “Sapore’s wine list has also been given an overhaul and is a smart, tightly focused selection that balances old and new world labels with equal aplomb. Well-priced crowd pleasers like Trimbach Riesling are mixed in with interesting vintages from smaller wineries (2005 Heathcote Shiraz). The list reflects Sapore’s whole approach — quality, style and comfort at reasonable prices”
John Lethlean, The Age, Melbourne Magazine, December 2007, p 99.
Reborn as a more glamorous version of the restaurant that has been in Fitzroy Street for more than a decade, Sapore has responded well to the stimulus of new owners, some smart interior design and a generous budget.
But new chef/partner Greg Feck hasn't changed the fundamental Italian menu direction. His is a Modern upmarket interpretation of classic Italian Flavours, executed with flourish. His version of the beef tartare, is one of Melbourne's better examples."
Metro News, November 2007
Sapore in Fiztroy street has re-opened and while maintaining its original essence, the renovation has produced a space that is warm and cosy while still making you feel a part of something special.
It is a testiment to the high standards at the new sapore that on a recent Monday evenning the restaurant was full, whereas other restaurants in the vicinity were empty or did not even bother openning! The quality and sophistication of the renovation is reflected in the menu with exceptionally flavoursome food that showcases some of the best produce in town"...