Martin Place is quiet on a Monday night, but the glass frontage of Rovollo is wide open, showing off the drama inside the newly opened Italian grill.
A server wheels a trolley between packed tables, stopping at a velvet-and-leather banquette for two to blow-torch an enormous, hollowed-out parmesan wheel. Hot, fat strands of pici pasta are twisted in the aged cheese before they’re coiled onto a plate and crowned with an egg yolk, crackling pieces of guanciale and pecorino. In the background, chefs move smoothly around a compact open kitchen whose window is framed by a staggering $20,000 marble pass.
Rovollo is the latest venue by Esper Hospitality, the team behind Mille Vini and Rosie Campbell’s in Surry Hills. Head chef Zane Buchanan (who’s spent time at Clam Bar and Fish Butchery) is leading the kitchen with executive chef Cami Feliciano (ex-Woodcut, Matteo Downtown), offering modern Italian dishes that transcend culinary borders with delightful ease – and a 250-bottle wine list to match.
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Join Now“We’re doing our own spin on traditional Italian,” Buchanan tells Broadsheet. “There’s fresh ravioli with mushroom, walnut, sage and ricotta filling, finished in a dashi broth with shimeji mushrooms, giving a different take on the usual creamy pasta. I think using ingredients from different cuisines – people are into it. It’s really the way of Sydney cooking.”
The bluefin tuna crudo is a standout dish. Bright pink cubes of raw fish are mixed with kombu dressing and punctuated by acidic, pickled tomatoes and bottarga. There’s also tender grilled octopus with salsa verde and ’nduja, and whole John Dory. Rovollo isn’t a seafood restaurant (steak options abound) but Buchanan approaches the seafood dishes in particular with a practiced hand.
“I learned so much working with Josh Niland; that’s where my passion for seafood comes from. It’s such a delicate thing. You don’t just chuck a piece of fish on the barbie and walk away. It takes mastery,” he says. “We’re dry aging the fish for a day or two, which concentrates the flavour, makes it easier to grill and get a crispy skin. I think it’s quite special. We finish it with some nice olive oil and fresh lemon, plus a choice of saffron emulsion or brown butter with capers.”
For dessert, the 24-layer cake is a must-order. Each slice is tall and thin, with moist dark chocolate cake going one-for-one with a bittersweet ganache. It’s finished with a berry-rosemary sauce that’s cooked slowly, caramelised to the edge of burnt.
With 75 seats, Rovollo isn’t that big, but touches like the colourful, full-ceiling mural – designed by Ellie Wilkinson, Esper co-founder Andrew Wallace’s partner – create plenty of mood. A mix of banquettes and tables make good use of the space, and the indoor seating flows onto the verandah seamlessly.
At the soft opening, Feliciano moves between front- and back-of-house while Buchanan’s on the pans. “I want to teach others the way I was taught,” Buchanan says, leading his own team for the first time. “I don’t want people to come and get the job done; I want them to strive to be the best, and to get better every day.”
It will be hard to do better than that cake.
Rovollo
MLC Centre, 25 Martin Place Sydney
Hours:
Mon to Fri midday–midnight
Sat 4pm–midnight