Sarti

Ph: (03) 9639 7822; 6 Russell Pl, Melbourne 3000 www.sarti.net.au

International, Modern Australian, Italian, $$$
Open dinner 6pm-11pm Mon-Sat also bar menu Mon-Sat, Closed Most public holidays; Licensed; AE DC BC MC V EFT
Chef Jarrard Botting (7-11-07) Owner Joe Mammone & Graeme Ballentine (7-11-07)

Mietta's Review
The dining area no longer emerges from behind a tailors work shop ('sarti' means tailor in Italian) - under it's new ownership (O'Connells Hotel), it's all restaurant, solving at one stroke it's identity crisis. Inside it's all white-clothed tables outside lemon trees grow from pots in the courtyard where they fight with large umbrellas for room. Inside, the mood is muted, executives and well dressed regulars enjoy simple but well executed dishes from the kitchen of chef, Mark Wilby. There's also a cheaper bar menu.

Other published opinions

Herald Sun Bob Hart, 21-06-08 " Sarti has always been good: a lively haunt offering stylish and authentic Italian food. But since Italian maestro Riccardo Momesso took charge of the stoves and became a partner in the business a year ago, Sarti has gone from very good to sensational. Dinner last week, my first since Momesso arrived, was as dazzling as any Italian meal I have eaten in a decade."

The Age John Lethlean, 27-8-2007 Score: 15/20 "It's a formidable team and it's an energetic, youthful place. And that's before you get out to its unique rooftop terrace. It's all high-gloss, brightly coloured surfaces next to bentwood chairs and brown paper-over-linen-over-tables; funky, hand-painted logos beside classic arched windows; a white marble bar with sharp stainless shelving behind it. Aside from his light, colourful and inventive cooking, Momesso's main trick here is a list of "stuzzichini", 13 small appetisers designed to share as entrees. Please don't call them tapas."

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14.5/20 "On sunny days and warm nights, Sarti's outdoor terrace is one of Melbourne's best and most urban-edgy places to dine. The interior, at the top of a flight of stairs leading from a lane, is no slouch either - a stylish, spacious room dominated by a large central bar with banquettes and paper and linen-covered tables echoing the smart casual Italian bistro approach found on the menu"

Age Epicure Restaurants, John Lethlean, 6-6-06 Score: 15/20 "Perhaps chastened by the indifference of just about everyone I know who tried the "new" Sarti, the owners must have started asking themselves similar questions, because in the interim, much has happened, all of it good. The partners, neither of them chefs, offered a share of the business to someone who was, Maurice Fsposito, late of St Kilda's Stokehouse, Middle Brighton Baths, Otto, European and even a little restaurant few remember - his own, Maurizio's, in Carlton about '994 - the place he started after doing the obligatory London tour of duty."

Herald Sun Eat, Bob Hart, 8-7-06 "As you might expect from the chaps who also operate the snappy Il Bacaro just up the road, this place is brilliant.It is more casual, less intense, but no less stylish than Il Bacaro. And that also goes for the food which, despite being masterminded by the same chef, Maurice Esposito, runs its own race."

Herald Sun Dining Out Stephen Downes 31/5/05 Score 17/20 "Sarti is a full professional package. Everything is right about it, but it might be a little expensive for casual or nonbusiness eaters. The wine list is excellent and well-priced, five whites and seven reds being available by glass."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005 score 14/20"with its wonderful bistro dishes, elegantly casual dining room and rare rooftop terrace, sarti deserves more attention. Its well-crafted, modern Australian menu relies on an interplay of flavour, texture and technique that goes well beyond the sum of the dishes' parts."

The Age A2 Melinda Houston 12/2/05 "THIS wine bar and restaurant is one of Melbourne's real treasures. There is a full a la carte menu, and come Saturday night, a civilised crowd, seated indoors at white-clothed tables, tucks into dishes with relish. We choose the terrace (a fabulous combination of rustic Mediterranean with uber-urban views) and a more relaxed meal from the bar menu. As with the full menu, everything here is good. "

The Age Melbourne Magazine 15/12/04 Barfly Melinda Houston "The terrace of this sophisticated city bar and restaurant is so brilliant it's confounding that no one's copied it. It's not rocket science just really well done."

AGFG 2004, score 14/20, excellent bar

The Age, Sunday Life, 11/1/04, John Lethlean,'If someone had told you, you still wouldn't believe it-a rooftop terrace restaurant in the heart of the CBD. Sarti is one rare bird so its just as well that the new-ish owners have ramped up the food and wine with a French/Mediterranean blend that sits well with the potted olive trees and terracotta.'

The Sunday Age, Sunday Life, Eat Streets, John Lethlean, 18/5/03

The Sunday Herald Sun, sunday magazine, dining, 2003, Graham Pearce, Score 8/10

The Herald Sun, Weekend, Eat, Simon Plant, 25/5/02

Herald Sun 7/11/2000

The Age 27/6/2000 John Lethlean

Sunday Age, Sunday Life, Eating Out 12/12/99

The Age, A2, 22/3/2003