We have four words for you and those words are “cacio e pepe hashbrowns”. If you thought we’d reached peak cacio-e-pepe-everywhere, carbonara-everything a couple of years back when the classic Roman pasta sauces were, well, everywhere, doing everything all at once, turns out there’s still some joy to be found there. We have Nostra to thank for this welcome flashback. The floating pasta project of chef Dane Hewson (Etta, Embla) and his partner Lydia Greenwood, Nostra has called in the past at such ports as The Keys, The Gem, Leonardo’s and Lulie Street Tavern, and now weighs anchor in Northcote, kicking off an eight-week run at Onlys on Victoria Road from Friday 22 August onwards.
The guys describe their cuisine as Italianish, which means you’ll see relatively straight (if not especially traditional) gear on the menu in the vein of the potato and ricotta gnocchi with rapa and basil pesto, friarielli and walnuts, or the wood-roasted rack of Berkshire pork with braised wild greens, smoked pork jus and salmoriglio, but also the more free-associating likes of tortellini sauced with a hazelnut XO sauce and those cacio e pepe hashbrowns we’re already dreaming of, drizzled with black-pepper caramel. We’re talking labne with the tuna crudo, smoked tomato oil on the lasagne, and a Marsala mousse in the tiramisù. In other words, it’s a party.
“This pop‐up is all about good food, good wine, good friends, and good music,” says Greenwood. “We want it to feel like a celebration every time you walk through the door – where you’re part of the family. For us, food is connection and community, and we can’t wait to bring that to Northcote.”
They’re also bringing some of our best friends along for the ride. “On Sundays we’ll host Nostra Famiglia featuring a different special guest chef from the Melbourne dining scene and some of our favourite people to help take over the pans and the playlists for the day. Think big, fun, loud long lunch sessions including names like Joel Baylon (Love Shack, ex-The Moon, Aru), Ben Wallace (Embla, ex-Romantica), Amy’s Pizza and Ultra Culture, with more to be announced soon.”
The fire is lit, the pasta water is on the boil, and the table is set – let’s go.
Nostra at Onlys, Thu-Sun, 22 August to 12 October, 58a Victoria Rd, Northcote, bookings here, @nostra.kitchen