REVIEW - Dining out

This month we visit a Fitzroy trattoria, a Blue Mountains fine-diner, an Adelaide pizza joint, and a new steakhouse in Sydney.

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ALTA TRATTORIA
A Piedmontese trattoria promises to become a Fitzroy favourite with impressive dishes, and wines to match, writes MICHAEL HARDEN.

Let’s start – as you should – with the focaccia. Not only is Alta’s version excellent with its high olive oil content, thin style, moist middle and crunchy, slightly fried exterior, but it announces this new Fitzroy diner’s intentions immediately.

This is a trattoria with its heart in and focus on Italy’s north-west, Piedmont in particular. No tricks or “modern takes” here, just skilled, refined cooking from co-owner and chef McKay Wilday (ex-Copenhagen’s Geranium) accompanied by a deep and thoroughly impressive wine list that follows the Piedmontese lead: wine from that region, then from Italy more generally with some good French stuff thrown in and, a nod to Alta’s location, some smart Australian labels.

Given Melbourne’s current wine bar craze, it might be tempting to hitch Alta’s wagon to that train. But such is the quality of the cooking and the rigorous and knowledgeable adherence to the trattoria model that favouring wine over food here would be doing both a disservice. The standard of service and the attention to detail from glassware to ingredients are also elevated for what is ostensibly a cosy, plainly decorated back street local, not so surprising when the three other co-owners are Carlo Grossi, sommelier James Tait and restaurant manager Luke Drum.