Espressino
50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Phone 03 9662 3334
“Cibo con amore” or “food with love” is the mantra at Espressino, a sophisticated and funky pizzetta, piadina and wine bar that caters to dainty public servants and office workers near the corner of Lonsdale and Spring. Located in Madame Brussels lane, it is the shining light amongst a glut of $5-coffee-and-muffin-joints which are unfortunately the standard in the area.
Opening only a few months ago, this family run affair is both passionate and authentic. Hailing from Torrevecchia in Italy, there isn’t a twee stereotype in sight - no checked tablecloths or bottles of chianti hanging from the ceiling, or stodgy cheese laden Italian fare. But what makes it special is that both the food and the service is done with love. And though I hate to fawn, I am absolutely smitten by it.
The protagonists at this culinary helm are Remo (as in the saint), a decidedly hunky Italian specimen with a look and an accent that can drop a girl at 20 paces (gee…lucky I am SO enamoured by EG!). He has a firm hospitality pedigree - operating cafes both here and in Italy, where he lived for 15 years. Deano, his godfather (…not to be confused with THE godfather), is a cheeky chap and one who is not adverse to a gossip and a bit of shtick. He started his trade in Queensland running a pizza joint with Remo’s father, and has since run cafe’s in Melbourne, taking a side step into ladies hairdressing (hence his excellent communication skills). Enis, Deano’s wife, is the most gorgeous, welcoming lady, with the heart, passion and cooking skills of a good Italian mama (…although she is far from looking like one!). There are others - sisters helping out in the kitchen and front of house, and a Sicilian uncle who is the pastrychef, a man who takes sole responsibility for my daily afternoon jaunt to the cake display.
But lets get onto the food. Mmm…rigatoni con ragu. Doesn’t this photo make you want to just dive in and eat - fork in one hand and hunk of bread in the other? Only recently has pasta made an appearance on the menu (thank god…those boxes of De Cecco pasta sitting on the counter have been taunting me for weeks!), and is served on Thursday and Friday. Enis takes responsibility for this bowl of goodness - firm aldente rigatoni, a tomato and beef ragu that has been cooked as all good sauces should be cooked - low and slooooow. And I don’t even know where to begin with the meat - it was tender and just fell to bits under my fork. Oh yeah. My Nonna would be happy with this.
I just so love the details - for example, your pasta comes served with a plate of crusty white bread which is perfect for wiping clean your plate afterwards. There is a grater for your parmesan, and a little dish of fresh chopped deseeded chilli that has been mixed with cracked black pepper. It is these little extras that I find so delightful. The little demi carafe of vino didn’t go astray either, making my Friday afternoon in the office a rather chirpy and relaxed affair.
For lunch one may also go the way of the pizza, which is made onsite daily, base and all. As you can see here, we are not talking your cheap meat lovers or Papa Gino’s special. This is gooood - toppings are fresh and simple - broccolini with prosciutto and tallegio, roasted vegetable, or even a simple margarita. A couple of choices a day keep things interesting.
If you want to go simple, then the foccaccia caprese can’t be beat (…I must confess to having this one quite regularly). Fior de latte mozzarella, tomato and basil. That’s it. The holy trinity of colours, red, white and green, toasted together in an olive oil and oregano foccaccia bread.
Other lunchtime offerings include sour dough piadina, toasted and served hot on a wood bread board (ahh…details). Filling ingredients include salame (sic), rocket, tuna, egg, asparagus, provolone, asiago, prosciutto, parma, roasted peppers etc.
Breakfast too is excellent. Dench breads - fruit and sourdough, are a good way to wake up in the morning, as are the breakfast panino’s with spinach, googy fried egg and provolone, or pancetta and googy egg. There is Misura Italian Cornflakes, Byron Bay Muesli, breakfast piadina with nutella and coconut (oh yeah). They also have a few specials, for instance the zabaglione with pavesini biscuits pictured above - a delicious silky marsala infused egg cream that is way too wicked to eat for breakfast. This evoked some very fond childhood memories, standing on a chair whisking egg yolks (I was about four or five years old) with my Nonna, pleading with her to put in another “cucchiaio di zucchero” (spoon of sugar). Ahh….I just love when food does this.
Oh…this is the “oops…was so hungry to take a photo before I ate it” warm breakfast panino with spinach, egg and cheese.
As I said earlier, the cake display is what calls to me each afternoon. It changes on a daily basis, keeping my pastry-inclined ways interested and enthused. The star of the show is the bombolone - yeasty Italian doughnuts pumped full of custard, raspberry or apricot jam. On certain days you can also get a very naughty nutella and custard combination. Other items include “probably the best lemon and blood orange tartlets”, white chocolate tarts, an amazing gluten free chocolate cake, plum and almond friands - well, the list goes on. All of the cakes are nicely sized (ie not supersized), so you don’t feel so bad eating them. Well, that is what I like to tell myself anyway.
The biscuits too are just amazing. Above is the napolitani - a pure work of pastrymaking art - a chocolatey nutty interior wrapped by sweet pastry, sprinkled with pistachios and drizzled with jam. Ooh…I just feel faint thinking about them. There are also garibaldi, mandarin amaretti, sour cherry amaretti, shortbread stuffed with figs…yes yes yes!
You know, I just love a place that greets me by name when I walk in, that is interested when they ask “And how are you today?”, and gives me such wonderful food to swoon over. And the romcaffe coffee, sourced directly from Italy, can’t be beat either.
Written by mellie on
September 17th, 2007 | Tags: cafes | Category: Uncategorized
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September 18th, 2007 at 12:34 am
Ah, yum! I can tell you that the vegetarian option for the pasta was sublime - much the same as the meat-eaters option, but instead of meat you had leek, spinach and peas. Oh yum, thoroughly delish.
We used to share the coffee-love around to a couple of places in Madame Brussels Lane, but these guys have won my coffee-business 99.9% of the time now. The coffee is fantastic, and the atmosphere is so friendly that I can’t imagine enjoying my coffee from anywhere else, especially when other places in the lane will greet you with a surly “what do you want”.
The team at Esspressino are a wonderful group, and I’m torn between wanting to tell people to go there, but wanting to keep them all to myself!
September 18th, 2007 at 1:18 am
Phew, you’ve got me swooning! *flutters makeshift notebook-fan* Almost makes a girl wish she was a CBD suit so she could enjoy this place on a workday…
September 18th, 2007 at 2:44 am
I’m envious, as always, of you crazy cats up at the east end of the CBD. That pizza al taglio with broccolini looks incredible! I just rang them to ask whether they’re ever open outside the Mon-Fri 7-5 timeframe (alas, no) and spoke in Italian with a sexy Italian Stallion… must get there soon!!
Great review as usual, mellie!
September 18th, 2007 at 4:26 am
Oh. My. God. I havent literally just finished a filling lunch and you have made me hungry all over again!!
You are SOOO right about a nice bowl of pasta with some bread. There’s nothing that can beat it somedays. And those pastries… ahhhh they look good. Reminds me of the bombalone con nutella I had in Sicily one morning for colazione. Mmmmmm…
Meanwhile, I highly recommend you motor your way to the next Flemington Racecourse market… I discovered this guy who makes the fluffiest, lightest and yummiest zeppoli that I’ve found in Australia. They are the bomb!
In the words of Molly Meldrum “Do yourself a favour…” and go there!
I’m definitely going to Espressino.
September 18th, 2007 at 6:07 am
Hey Mellie,
Will have to check this place out. It’s the small details that count and I’m glad we have another option for decent food at this end of town. For future weekend purchases, those DELICIOUS napolitani biscuits are also sold in the bakery at Mediterranean Wholesalers on Sydney Road (except they call them “romanini” and it’s worth calling ahead to check they have them if they’re the reason for your visit).
September 18th, 2007 at 9:03 am
OMG, Mel, I just realised… you didn’t mention the hot chocolate at all!! How on earth could you forget?!?! (forgetting for a moment the fact that I did too). Mmmmmmmmm
September 18th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Hey anna - my god, how could I forget those thick as mud Italian hot chocolates?!? They are seriously wicked. Yeah, I’m not with sharing the coffee love around anymore. Once you’ve had the best, you can’t drink at the rest
Hi cindy - you won’t need a slick city suit to visit this place, but you will need to come during business hours. They must have done a roaring trade today, as when I got there for my afternoon fix, most of the cake display was empty. Not a bombolone in sight!
Hey there mutemonkey - thanks! Ahh…did you just about melt from that lilting Italian accent? I think you will need to make a trip uptown for a visit
Hi anthony - hmm, there is nothing like a bombolone for breakfast, eh?
And Flemington market?!? I’ve never heard of it! Oooh oooh…something new to blog! Thanks for the tip - I’ll have to make my way over for some zeppoli goodness 
Hey there kate - thanks for the tip on the romanini, as they are so deliciously goooood. I was at that place a few weeks ago (on a Sunday), but didn’t spot them then. By your report, they were probably all sold out!
September 18th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
I think my career as a hand model is at an end! at least until I get a manicure.
September 18th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Hello Mellie
Cheers…
Sure seems like a delightful place and everything you’d described looked delish and sounded delightful! I think all of us are always hoping to find ‘regulars’ such as this. Will try to remember it if ever next in the CBD during office hours. But I do have a small protest…there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a Papa Gino’s Special when the craving hits
September 18th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Haha EG - you are the BEST hand model. Thanks so much for being so patient when I whip out my camera though
Hey towser - yeah, I must concede to a Papa Gino craving at 11pm after a particularly good night on the turps. Sometimes only the greasy junk will do
September 19th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Hey Mel, this was so good read straight after coming back from Italy. Melbourne’s a very European city, and don’t we love it to bits for that, but it’s still in Aus, you know? Espressino sounds like it’s really doing the Italian business as you’d find it over there. I’ll be heading in for coffee and bombolene as soon as I can!
September 19th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Great review, mellie - and awesome pictures. Can’t believe this little gem is in the city, too. Definitely going to troop down there someday for lunch. I think the pizza really sold me. AND the coffee. Hehe.
September 25th, 2007 at 2:49 am
This place looks fabulous!! So many great places in Melbourne, so little time and now there’s another one to check out.
I love bomboloni… *drool* Hopefully on the day I visit I get one of those nutella/custard ones!
September 25th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Hey fiona - ooh, just loved your photos from your trip to Italy. Ahh…to attend a wedding in Venice. How divine is that?!
Hiya mouse - yes, the pizza is certainly worth going for. They had a particularly good looking salsicce (Italian sausage) one the other day - I could smell it from the other side of the counter! But get there early, as it is starting to get *very* busy during lunch of late.
Hi linda - the custard/nutella bombolone make an appearance on Thursdays/Fridays. But if you go on another day, make sure it’s for breakfast. Their nutella and coconut piadina is rather special too
September 27th, 2007 at 4:46 am
Hi mellie, I got to visit Espressino today! Loved it, loved it, loved it. To my surprise it turned out that this Remo you speak of and I recognised each other - he used to be one of the Carlton Espresso stallions - and he gave me a grin and a “Ciao, ma tu come stai? Si, ho venduto l’altra”…
Had agnolotti with a napoli sauce followed by a bombolone with raspberry… SO GOOD… Must try a piadina next time. Thanks again for sharing this discovery with us!
September 28th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Hey mutemonkey! Ahh..that’s so funny! Glad you finally found one of your espresso stallions (…and that he is!). It’s a great place, huh? They are getting so busy of late though - it’s hard to get a seat!
I can’t go past the caprese focaccia - just a simple fior de latte, basil and tomato. It rocks.