Cinque Terre quietly opened in December last year, the first key tenant to open in Chadstone’s new $70 million Social Quarter precinct, which the shopping centre formally unveiled earlier this week.

Cinque Terre is also the latest venue for Melbourne restaurateur David Mackintosh (Lee Ho Fook, Pei Modern, Ides, SPQR) and is inspired by the food and mood of the Italian Riviera. (Chef Joseph Vargetto (Mister Bianco was involved in the restaurant’s development.)

The Italian Riviera, and in particular the famous Cinque Terre towns of the Ligurian coast in Italy’s northwest, provided the inspiration for the restaurant – “it is a happy place to transport yourself to", says Mackintosh. “We are in a shopping centre, but if you need a bit of respite or relaxation, particularly out on the terrazzo, that’s what we are offering.

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“I love Italian food, whether it’s pizza or pasta. It’s a good offering in a centre like this because there are good things for families. And it is simple and fresh and tasty.”

The menu features ingredients and flavours you find in that part of Italy: quail, rabbit, lots of seafood, and lemon, basil and pasta. Here, the quail is antipasti, grilled and served with pancetta and radicchio; while rabbit is slow-cooked in spaghettini verde with classic Ligurian flavours of wine, tomato and herbs. Calamari fritti is textural with a crisp and slightly spicy crumb, and a crayfish ravioli comes with fennel aglio e olio.

There are three rosso and three bianca pizzas made using From Scratch sourdough bases: a 13-year-old mother sourdough, proved for 48 hours then baked in the Marana Forni oven.

Wines are mostly from Italy, with Italian varietals from Australia. The cocktail list is tight for now, featuring spritzes and Negronis.

Cinque Terre has three separate spaces with different dining options: the “pronto” area with casual seating and bar stools; the relaxed but refined dining room, for traditional restaurant service; and the open-air terrazza with lemon trees, which is set to open soon. There’s also a 40-seat function room for private events.

Interior designer Min Chun Tseng drew inspiration from her time studying in Milan and memories of taking the train to the Riviera – particularly the scent of the ocean and abundance of light in the region. She used a colour palette of terracotta, teal and green to evoke the landscape’s architecture, mountains, sea and trees.

Tan banquettes and sage-green seats are surrounded by planters and greenery. The bar counter is made from dappled marble, inspired by salami, and orange-and-white striped seating will grace the terrace. Black-and-white photos from the ’50s and ’60s conjure a sense of sun-kissed summers, making for a charming escape from the bustle of Chadstone in the polished new dining precinct.

Alongside Cinque Terre, the Social Quarter will be home to offerings from Melbourne favourites Piccolina and Half Acre as well as a number of Funlab venues, including Holey Moley mini golf.

“It is an exciting thing for Chadstone,” Mackintosh says. “They are a shopping-dominated centre and that has served them well. But with this initiative, it now opens the centre up to evening entertainment. I thought it would be really fun to be part of that.”

Cinque Terre
1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone

Hours
Mon to Wed 9.00am-5.30pm
Thurs to Sat 9.00am-9.00pm
Sun 10.00am-7.00pm

chadstone.com.au/stores/cinque-terre