BarDemocratico&DiStasioPizzeria
Neveronestorestontheirlaurels,RinaldoDiStasio
andMalloryWallareplanningtoopentwonew
businessesinthecomingyear.Firstofftherank
willbeDiStasioPizzeriainCarlton(nextdoorto
King& GodfreeonFaradayStreet),whichwillopen
mid-2021.ThiswillbefollowedbyBarDemocratico,
a bar/café/galleria,inthenewdevelopment
replacingtheoldMercureHotel,justdownthehill
fromDiStasioCittà.DiRitterfromHassellStudios,
whodidremarkableworkatCittà,is onboardfor
thefit-outofDemocratico.Expectnewworkfrom
artists Reko Rennie and Shaun Gladwell too.
LolloatTheW
TheMarriott’snewWMelbournehotelinFlinders
Lanewillincludea winebar,a cocktailbarand
a Japaneserestaurant,alongsideitssignature
110-seatrestaurantLollo,whereAdamD’Sylva(Coda,
Tonka)hassignedonascreativedirector.Dueto
opennextmonth,Lollowillserveeverythingfrom
breakfastthroughtonightcaps,witha menudrawing
onD’Sylva’sIndianandItalianheritage,aswellas
hisloveforSoutheastAsianandEuropeanflavours
andtechniques.Thewinelistwilllean Victorian.
408 Flinders Ln, Melbourne, VicAru
SundachefKhanhNguyen’ssecondrestaurant
wasduetoopeninJulybutweallknowhowthat
turnedout.TheextratimehasallowedNguyen
toexperimentwiththemenuatAru,namedafter
a groupofeastIndonesianislandsbetweenWest
PapuaandAustralia.Aru’smenuwillfocusoncooking
overcoalsandfermentation,usingingredientsand
flavoursindigenoustobothAustraliaandIndonesia.
SettoopeninApril,it willfeatureroastandcured
meatswithgarnishesandsauces like a finger lime
andbushtomatosambal.
268 LittleCollinsSt,Melbourne, VicFarmer’sDaughters
AlejandroSaravia(Pastuso)is openinga three-level
showcaseoftheremarkablydiverseproducecoming
fromGippsland,a regioninVictoria’seast.The
“Gippslandembassy”is openingthismonthatthe
80 CollinsStreetdevelopmentandincludesa ground
floordelianddiner,a restaurantwitha “campfire
kitchen”onthesecondflooranda rooftopbarthat
doublesasanurbanfarm.Promisinga genuine
farm-to-tableexperience,Farmer’sDaughterswillalso
highlightGippslandbooze,includingwinesbyWilliam
Downie and Bass Phillip.80 Collins St, Melbourne, Vic➤ WORDS MICHAEL HARDEN. PHOTOGRAPHY GARY HEERY (80 COLLINS) & JULIAN KINGMA (MALLORY WALL).