First Look: UGO Burrata Bar at South Melbourne Market, a New Shop Dedicated to the Divisive Blob

Last year burrata became one of the most divisive ingredients in food media. The debate over whether or not burrata is actually “good” was sparked by a piece from Grub Street reporter and New York magazine’s Underground Gourmet columnist Tammie Teclemariam, titled A Big Fat Blob of Boring that was published in July.

While Teclemariam’s burrata take-down piece made some cheese critics feels validated, for others it only served to amplify their love of the blob. UGO Burrata Bar, a new South Melbourne Market store from the team behind the market’s Cannoleria , caters to these burrata-lovers.

“We want to showcase that burrata and mozzarella are not only seasonal products, but delicious ingredients that can be paired up all year round,” says co-owner and co-founder Dario Di Clerico.

At the burrata bar the fresh creamy cheese is sourced from That’s Amore Cheese and is served 10 different ways. It comes on toast with bacon jam, avocado and sesame dressing; served in a bagel with tomatoes and Italian-style chilli paste; served with mortadella, fresh watermelon and pickled watermelon rind; and even as part of a dessert with a crumble, rum syrup and shaved macadamias.

While Di Clerico is aware of the ingredient’s reputation for being boring, he says at UGO Burrata Bar the cheese is “not just sitting on top of an ingredient” and adds that “the menu lifts the flavour profile of all the ingredients, keeping it really seasonal and sourcing as much as possible from the market”.

UGO Burrata Bar
South Melbourne Market Deli Aisle
322–326 Coventry Street, South Melbourne (York Street Entrance)
(03) 9086 8925

Hours:
Wed, Sat & Sun 8am–4pm
Fri 8am–5pm

ugo.com.au