First Look: Martina Is the All-Day Rose Bay Destination for Roman Pinsa by the Water

The hardest part about dining at Martina is choosing which time to visit. Will it be a morning stop for a rich espresso and plump house-made sfogliatelle? A midday slice of pizza by the water? Or a dinner date to feast on Italo classics like Roman pinsa (a style of pizza dough), carbonara and veal scallopini.

“I can see people working through the menu,” owner Flavio Carnevale tells Broadsheet. “I literally see couples be in the first time for dinner, then it’s coffee in the morning, lunch.”

This is a breezier spot than Carnevale’s first: Marta , in Rushcutters Bay. Opened in 2017, number one is darker, moodier and a favourite for dates. In 2020, in response to Covid restrictions, he opened a weekend bakery. The format’s proved a winner. Little sister Martina – who’s “brighter, more casual, a place to pop in any time” – does the day-to-night thing too.

Martina’s largely Roman menu starts snacky with just-baked pizza dough dressed simply with olive oil and salt, burrata and plates of prosciutto. There’s a Tuscan tomato salad, bruschetta and zucchinis that Carnevale remembers from childhood. “We take all the insides of the zucchini and mix it with bread, milk, pecorino, eggs. Then we fill the zucchini and roast it back in the oven with tomato sauce. It’s something my grandmother did all through the summer when zucchinis were in season.”

Cacio uova – a carby recipe from Abruzzo that uses Martina’s leftover bread – joins seppie fritte, “fried cuttlefish that’s so big in Rome”. There’s the crowd-pleasing duo of spaghetti alla carbonara and fettucini alfredo, plus a funky bowl of creste di gallo – the rooster-head-esque pasta – with prawns and a silky vodka sauce.

The pizza menu centres around Roman pinsa: hand-pressed dough made with soy, rice and wheat flours. The line-up is stacked with Marta classics – “we have to!” – with a few special newcomers. The Giallo Rossa beams like sunshine with a saffron base and roasted cherry tomatoes. Similarly bright is the Laziale, where pecorino and guanciale ride on a rich pumpkin cream. For the Isolana, an eggplant is roasted whole before its smoky, gooey insides are scooped out, pureed and joined by stracciatella and almonds.

Dinnertimes are already popular even though online bookings aren’t available yet. “We do the same table three or four times – it’s cool and casual. But, you can stay longer if you want to.”

Weekday mornings are for coffee and fluffy cream-stuffed maritozzi. On weekends there’s “proper” breakfast – scrambled eggs with parmesan on focaccia, and those same maritozzi with cream cheese and smoked salmon.

“Last night was spectacular: you sit outside and you can see all the bay, it was just beautiful. Sometimes you take it for granted, but every now and then you stop and think, ‘Wow, this is where I’m working’. Seeing all the bay and the water from where I’m baking bread.”

Martina
51–55 O’Sullivan Road, Rose Bay

Hours:
Bakery: Wed to Mon 8am–3.30pm
Restaurant: Thu to Mon 5pm–9pm

martinarosebay.com.au
@martinarosebay