Pass the pita!

If you haven’t tried chef-about-town Alex Xinis’s famous flatbreads yet, you’ll soon get your serve at his new Collingwood restaurant.

He’s opening Orlo; a new Greek eatery with the help of Young’s Wine Rooms’ James Klapanis in March.

“I’m pretty stoked. It’s going to be the first project that I’m involved in to this extent,” he said.

“I always had that dream to open my own restaurant… and I’m at that stage of my career and life where I’m ready for it — I’m really excited”.

The 150-seater on Oxford St, which runs parallel to Smith St, has four areas to indulge from a heaving street-level front bar, dining room, courtyard and mezzanine.

Xinis, a George Calombaris protégé, hopes Orlo fills Melbourne’s Greek restaurant void by cooking authentic eats with a modern spin.

“Orlo’s menu will be veg-forward but there’ll be a spattering of seafood and meat,” he said.

“We’ll have those flatbreads as a mezze for starters, as well as hand-rolled leek pies, whole-roasted cauliflowers and grilled leeks with a simple dressing.”

Xinis also puts his spin on biscuit tin fave, the Iced Vovo, with his Riced Vovo made with rice cream, burnt marshmallow and raspberries.

Head chef Yianni Papanatsios will be on the pots and pans, fresh from an Athens stint.

Melbourne fell in love with Xinis’s Greek cooking (and those pitas) through his lockdown meal pack Almost Like Yiayias.

He’s retired Yiayias to lack of demand, and will continue to consult at CBD rooftop bar Fable and work at Camberwell’s Young’s Wine Rooms while getting Orlo off the ground.

Orlo
44 Oxford St, Collingwood
Mon-Tue – 5pm-late
Wed-Sun – 12pm-late
orlo.com.au
@orlo.collingwood

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