Purveyor of fine lasagne Joey Kellock is expanding his High Street stable.

The man behind Thornbury’s 1800 Lasagne is dialling up the Italiana with two new venues opening in Northcote.

The first, at 555 High Street, is dedicated sandwich spot Cinque. “I’m not out to open the best sandwich shop in the world,” Kellock tells Broadsheet. “I just want to give the good people of Darebin a fucking good dedicated sandwich shop.”

He’s thinking six or so ciabattas with fillings like lasagne (“a big old slice slapped between the bread”), cotoletta and porchetta, as well as a vegetarian option or two.

Five doors up, in a former watchmaker’s shop – with “old-world charm and basically untouched since the ’60s” – he’s opening Dopolavoro, an Italian-inspired after-work bar and live-music venue with an “anything goes” brief. “I’m a commitment-phobe,” he says. “So, it’ll be what it needs to be. Think wines of the world; DJs and big bands playing in a little space; and an outdoor space with quartz, fountains and grapevines.”

Meanwhile, an “illuminated, out-of-your-wildest-dreams trolley” will ferry oysters and single-bite snacks to the bar from the sanga shop. “[Operating it] will be the sickest job in town,” says Kellock. “White pants, white apron, white hat – you’ll be a celebrity.”

Cinque is slated to open at 555 High Street, Northcote, in 2024; Dopolavoro is set to open at 567–569 High Street, Northcote, in mid-2024.

@1800lasagne