“I've created the feel based on what I like to eat and what Melbourne likes to eat,” says Adam D’Sylva. He’s chatting about his new restaurant Lollo, part of new Flinders Lane luxury hotel W Melbourne. “Being half Italian, half Indian, I have a lot of Asian and European dishes on there”.
The kitchen whiz behind beloved Melbourne restaurants Coda and Tonka, D’Sylva is apparently cooking almost constantly – as the chef speaks to Broadsheet he’s multi-tasking, cutting up apples and prepping for a meal at home later that day.
That verve translates to the Lollo menu – there’s a lot to choose from. “I like to graze and nibble and taste different things all the time,” says D’Sylva. He says the idea is to offer a host of different flavours in a single meal. Current options run from steak to salumi, octopus to asparagus, duck lasagne to buffalo mozzarella en croûte.
The latter is a particular favourite. “I just think it's so tasty and delicious,” says D’Sylva. “Who doesn’t like hot gooey cheese in pastry? It’s also something people can replicate at home. You can do all different types of flavours. You can put prosciutto in it. You can [amp] it up with black truffle paste.”
Lollo is open for breakfast seven days a week, and lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Which might sound hectic to mere mortals, but D’Sylva is in his element. “It's got a great feel to it,” he says of the W complex. “Every venue’s amazing. The rooms are amazing. It's a really nice feel. I'm really proud to be a part of it.”
Here’s how to make Lollo’s Buffalo Mozzarella En Croûte at home:
Lollo’s Buffalo Mozzarella En Croûte
Serves: 2
Prep time: 30 mins
Ingredients:
1 piece buffalo mozzarella around 125gm
2 sheets of store bought frozen puff pastry (size around 20cm x 20cm)
1 tbspn truffle paste (Italian grocery store or gourmet pantry shop)
2 cup wild rocket
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 whole egg
Method:
Defrost frozen puff pastry, drain mozzarella cheese and discard brine. Pat dry the cheese with paper tissue and place on top of one sheet of puff pastry.
Place a spoonful of truffle paste on top of mozzarella cheese and brush puff pastry with egg wash.
Place another sheet of puff pastry on top. Pressing down the puff pastry with your finger from the each ends toward to centre, removing all air gaps and ensure the cheese is securely positioned in the centre.
Leaving the 5 to 6 cm of rim around the cheese, using paring knife to trim off excessive puff pastry. Place in the chiller.
Reserve small leaves of rockets for decoration. Place rest of rocket with olive oil in the blender and blend until paste consistency is achieved.
Season with sea salt.
Brush outside with egg wash, then bake in the 190 C preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Place the baked mozzarella cheese en en croûte on the plate and decorate dish with rocket puree and reserved small rocket leaves. Serve.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with W Melbourne.
