25 May 2009
Rita Erlich
Tolarno Hotel, 42 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
+61 3 9525 3088.
Tolarno is a small hotel with accommodation that ranges from simple rooms to small apartments. The eating and drinking are stylish; what’s offered would suit a glamorous CBD boutique hotel thanks to the direction of Guy Grossi of Grossi Florentino, who transformed things a couple of years ago. The restaurant is a celebration of artist Mirka Mora, who decades ago began a Melbourne restaurant with the late Georges Mora, who also established an art gallery. Her artistic presence animates the restaurant named for her, and the bar, with its small casual eating area. The cooking is clearly Italian with a couple of modern classics (beetroot-cured kingfish, salmon rillettes). In the bar, the antipasti include prosciutto di Parma, a frittata and croquettes in the Spanish style. The wine list is a ripper, mainly featuring the wines of Australia and Italy. Of note is the range of half-bottles and the fortifieds.
Open: lunch & dinner daily. Licensed. Mains $32-$35 (less in bar).
Source: Qantas The Australian Way June 2009