Click PLAY to hear Emilia’s full review

We all know and love Scopri, synonomous with long lunches, superb Italian food and upstanding service. Meet their little sister – Bar Olo. Never have I been recommended a new haunt so much, the final driver was at our Yarra Valley OB when head winemaker, Steve Webber said we MUST go there. 

You walk off the street, 80m away from Scopri, (the 14 year old Melbourne institution) into floor to ceiling linen in the entrance protecting the 40 seat wine bar from the Melbourne rain and wind. Part the linen and you find yourself in the warm, European-style bar. To my right is a family having a 5:30 dinner, to my left is two old friends catching up. Through my night the wine bar fills up; people sitting up at the bar, double dates, everyone sharing one thing – a vibe. There’s a vibe at Bar Olo, it weaves its way through the inventive but traditional menu, the extensive wine menu with ‘SCUSA E FINITO’ stamped over wines that aren’t currently in stock and owner, Anthony Scutella floating around all night. 

The name, the pun, the almost dad joke in Bar Olo is of course a play on Barolo wine from the Piedmont region in far north Italy, bordering on the Switzerland and France border. It felt fitting to drink Barolo then, of which they have a whole section in their leather bound wine menu. Be warned, their 120 Barolo wine section was not in my price range but here’s a tip I learned from you, Ross; instead of getting a Barolo specifically I got a nebbiolo wine which is the grape variety they use in the Barolo region. Anduma Langhe DOC Nebbiolo is still made in the Piedmont region and was delightful for a fraction of the price. 

The food menu is, as you would expect, is smaller than the restaurant menu but it’s like they picked all the best bits. I started with a farm vegetable medley knowing I wasn’t planning on having much more than pasta and various forms of protein. Surprising but swiftly winning me over was the Prawn tramezzini – originating from Venice, Italian finger sandwich. If this is what Italians are eating at functions, I want in. Rough chopped prawn, salsa rosa (call it upmarket seafood sauce), a slice of iceberg lettuce and the winning secret ingredient, fried Tropea onion. Seafood in the form of Fritto Misto and Grilled Octopus both of which were fresh and moreish. 

This is a wine bar special. I love when bars take a classic dish and make it bite sized, I couldn’t think of a better example than a Lasagne Croquette. They somehow kept the bite sized lasagne from drying out inside despite being flash fried and crispy on the outside. 

One of their signature pastas, duck and pork ragu – Spoja Lorda featured fresh square pasta and generous servings of meat throughout. 

Agnolotti Del Plin was mini stuffed pasta dripping in creamy, buttery sauce that left us dragging sourdough through the leftover sauce. 

Their special was Rollino di Pollo, Italian for ‘rolled chicken’, popular in Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. Chicken sausage and crushed pistachios rolled in another layer of chicken that they grill and crisp up. Think meatloaf but actually delicious

You can hardly go to an Italian restaurant without Tiramisu. $17

Much like Scopri, the vibe was there but if you’re looking for a drink of the way home, Bar Olo answers that question.

Bar Olo

165 Nicholson Street

Carlton