Salt Meats Cheese by Massimo Mele has launched their flagship venue at Gateway Sydney, Circular Quay.
Mele and head chef James Roberts have created a bespoke menu for the venue that’s influenced by Mele’s version of the Italian food he remembers growing up with.
Menu items include fried pizza with house dip ($10), creamy burrata with wilted seasonal greens and fire-roasted eggplant ($18), meatballs with grilled bread ($18) and twice-cooked octopus with Jerusalem artichoke, olives, lemon and almond puree ($22).
House-made pastas include paccheri Genovese, a 12-hour slow-cooked ragu of wagyu beef and pork cheeks ($28), cavatelli with mushrooms, kale pesto, fontina sauce ($24) and tagliolini with raw tuna, rocket, garlic, chilli and capers ($28).
Pizzas are made Roman style with a thinner base. With eight varieties to choose from, expect classics such as Margherita ($19) and Diavola ($22) as well as the newly introduced pork and fennel sausage with charred broccolini and fontina cheese ($23), nduja, prawn, ricotta and cherry tomatoes ($23) and mushrooms with spinach, taleggio, caramelised onions and mascarpone ($22).
The mains range from crumbed pork cutlet with rocket and dragoncello ($32), grilled half-chicken stuffed with mascarpone and porcini ($31) to the 250g Wagyu scotch fillet with burnt butter, capers, sage and lemon ($35).
Dessert options include yoghurt semifreddo with lemon, berries and torched meringue ($14) and tiramisu ($12).
Mele is a firm friend of the Salt Meats Cheese founders, having collaborated on numerous events over the past five years.
“I feel like I’ve been part of the Salt Meats Cheese family since they launched so I’ve got a strong understanding of who they are as a brand,” says Mele. “Salt Meats Cheese Sydney will share the same values as the other venues, but will stand apart in terms of the offering.”
In addition to a new Salt Meats Cheese Group wine list, curated by Adriano Risi, Mele will also offer a selection of his favourite wines by the glass and bottle. The collection will feature a number of Tassie wineries as well as some Italian varietals. Aperitivo hour will run daily from 5-6.30pm, offering complimentary bar snacks to accompany $10 cocktails and $5 beers/selected wines.
Building works for the rooftop will be completed this summer with the space due to open in December.