“We’re a neighbourhood diner inspired by Italy,” says Alex Ghaddab of newly opened Osteria Renata in Prahran. “I’d drive past this location on my way to Park Street Pasta & Wine (Ghaddab’s South Melbourne venue) every day last year through lockdown and noticed that it was for lease. It had the bones that were conducive to a beautiful little neighbourhood Italian restaurant,” he says. “So, we pulled the trigger on the lease; it’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while.”

Ghaddab says they were slowed by Covid but “now that things are back in action” they’ve gone “hard on the space,” with design being overseen by Nick Cox of Projects of Imagination.

The kitchen space and capability will allow chef and co-owner Gus Cadden, formerly head chef at Park Street Pasta & Wine, to expand the culinary repertoire to a more robust menu offering of larger dishes, giving Osteria Renata more of a restaurant vibe as opposed to a pasta bar.

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Ghaddab’s Polish-Ukrainian heritage comes into play, his grandmother being the eponymous Renata. The matriarch drew friends and family to her table each week “with her warm hospitality and passion for cooking”. The vision and philosophy of Osteria Renata focuses on “sharing lovingly prepared food in a fashion reminiscent of your Nonna’s table – simple, generous and delicious”.

Cadden and Ghaddab are excited by dishes like their pre-order rock lobster spaghetti, a special occasion dish if ever there was one. “It’s a riff on spaghetti all’Astice, which you find all over Italy, but using a southern rock lobster here in Australia,” says Ghaddab. Served with freshly made pasta that comes from their on-site pasta lab, the dough is very much on the richer side as its uses a high concentration of egg yolk. A combination of the pasta’s high fat content and a bisque made from shellfish and rock lobster, Ghaddab says, is “pretty extravagant”.

Gnocchi fritto cacio e pepe is another dish the Osteria Renata team think will become an instant signature. “Fried gnocchi dough is something you see in the Emilia Romagna region, often served with mortadella or prosciutto,” says Ghaddab. “But we’ve opted for a beautiful acorn-fed, 36-month aged Jamon Iberico, so not necessarily Italian, but it’s the creme de la creme of cured pork.” Everyone goes crazy for cacio e pepe, he says, so they’re fully embracing those flavours garnishing with plentiful Pecorino Romano and black pepper.

On the wine front Ghaddab says it’s a work in progress but there will “definitely be a heavy Italian slant on the wine list,” while there will be room for local talent. “Matt East is a good example from Rouleur,” says Ghaddab. “They’re really beautiful wines, and we’ve also got some wines on tap from my friends at Chalmers who for me are pioneers of introducing Italian varietals to Australia all the way back to the nineties.” Varietals to look out for, Ghaddab says, are the Falanghina and Nero d’Avola.

Osteria Renata
436-438 High St, Prahran
03 9112 8962
Tue-Thu 5.30pm-11pm, Fri-Sat noon-11pm
osteriarenata.com.au