Puttanesca

Puttanesca is a pasta sauce with a rich history. Often associated with Naples and Rome, it is infamously said to have been made by sex workers during World War II as a way to lure in customers. But it’s also the name of Guy Grossi’s Kew diner, housed inside the 19th-century Clifton Hotel on High Street.

Partnering with hospitality group Public (behind Sydney hotspots Maybe Sammy and The Strand Hotel), Grossi has revived the pub’s bones with sunset-coloured terrazzo and posters for films starring Sophia Loren, an Oscar-winning icon of cinema who Grossi regards as the pub’s matriarch.

The menu is designed for familiarity and comfort, and Grossi fans may recognise dishes from the chef’s other Melbourne venues. The bolognaise and salted ricotta jaffle of Arlechin fame returns as a front-bar snack. And regulars of Ombra Salumi in the CBD will clock the vongole pizza topped with clams.

The signature puttanesca sauce – a blend of San Marzano tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, capers and olives – is served on top of cured kingfish, spaghetti, and pizzas made from slow-fermented dough. It even pops up in a cocktail made using Vecchia Romagna brandy; Cherry Heering liqueur and rosso vermouth.