First Look: It’s Baked Vodka Rigatoni and Tomato Martinis at Pepe’s New Parlour

The concept of the “private club” has inspired the design of a number of local venues, including Mischa Tropp’s Hot-Listed Kolkata Cricket Club which takes cues from Soho House in Delhi, and Amatrice Rooftop in Cremorne, which draws influence from Soho House locations in Los Angeles.

When it came to opening Pepe’s Parlour – a new addition to Pepe’s Italian & Liquor, the Italian American restaurant in a former synagogue on Exhibition Street – owner Nick Kutcher says he was inspired by the extravagance and exclusivity of London clubs such as Annabel’s and 5 Hertford Street.

He was also influenced by the traditional idea of the parlour – the type found in old French and English homes. “It’s an intimate space in a house where conversations would be held, and that space was a little more luxurious than other parts of the house,” Kutcher tells Broadsheet. “We thought that it would fit in well with what Pepe’s Parlour is, which is a little bit quieter than its big brother.”

The Parlour includes two distinct areas: a glasshouse and a Martini bar. The former, with its marble tables, upholstered green leopard print chair and marble tables borrows from Annabel’s dark green palette and maximalist design. Out front, there’s also a tiny patio with tables dressed in rustic floral, ideal for an outdoor lunch once the weather warms up.

Head chef Antonio Loffredo has developed an almost entirely new lunch menu for the space (the Pepe’s Italian & Liquor menu is served at night). He makes use of the new custom-built brick oven, baking spicy vodka rigatoni (the only dish that’s also found on the regular Pepe’s Italian & Liquor menu) and focaccia for toasted sandwiches – Kutcher recommends the American French dip sandwich -inspired chicken cacciatore dip number. There are also salads including a 16-hour Aperol-cured salmon with avocado, green beans and cos salad with green goddess dressing, and baked ricotta with picked vegetables and green beans.

The full menu is also available at the moodier Martini bar, which makes playful riffs on Martinis including a cinnamon-flavoured winter Appletini spiked with Fireball Cinnamon Whisky.

The bar’s centrepiece is a ceiling mural, which took four weeks to complete and was painted by local artist Jordy Van Den Nieuwendijk (whose past clients include Apple and Hermes). It depicts tomatoes, and was the inspiration behind a savoury tomato Martini, made with gin distilled from Sicilian black tomatoes, a tomato vermouth house blend, plus a dash of tomato essence, and finished with sun-dried tomatoes and glossy dots of olive oil.

Pepe’s Parlour
275-285 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
(03) 9663 7994

Hours:
Mon to Fri 11.30am–3pm; 5pm–late

www.pepesitalian.com.au
@pepesitalianliquor