‘Rammed from open to close’: Glen Iris locals flock to new Italian restaurant Grazia - but is it worth the hype?

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I assumed that Grazia was booking lots of private events. Why else would there be no bookings available on either a Sunday or Monday night? I called to make sure there wasn’t a glitch with the software. “No,” the woman told me over the phone, “we’re just fully booked. Yes, Tuesday as well. I can get you in Wednesday of next week?”

It seems that Glen Iris really, really wanted a schmick Italian joint appropriate for all kinds of meals: pizza with the kids, date night, gossipy lunches with friends.

The photos of the dining room that accompany this article were taken at lunchtime on a Thursday and every single one of its 100 seats was filled. This is usually a difficult time to shoot venues because customers are sparse and empty dining rooms make for boring photos. Not at Grazia. Its two dining rooms on separate floors, connected by a soaring atrium, have been rammed from open to close.

This is probably what chef and co-owner Joe Di Cintio (formerly of Sapore and Sette Bello) envisioned when he conceived the space. Di Cintio, who is a long-time resident of Glen Iris, noticed a lack of this type of upscale but approachable Italian in the neighbourhood (apart from the much smaller Riserva around the corner). It took a four-year renovation of the heritage-listed building (formerly a beauty parlour), but his vision finally came to life in early May.

During the day, light filters down from the glassed-in ceiling, showcasing the coastal Italian vibes: rattan, marble, Venetian plaster, camel and sage-green accents, and a large potted tree on the ground floor. The open kitchen on that floor is home to a Castelli oven; built specifically for Roman-style pizzas and imported from Italy, it’s one of only two in the country.

That oven is pumping out a thin, pizza-like focaccia as well as actual pizzas with toppings such as king prawns, green olives and chilli crisp ($28) and pumpkin, pine nuts, goat’s cheese and honey ($28). The stretch of the crust is satisfying, and while I won’t say these pizzas compete with the best in town, the fancy oven is certainly earning its keep.

There’s a lot here that’s fairly standard – neither groundbreaking nor boring, just things you’d expect to find done well in a modern Italian joint: crisp arancini with the slightest hint of pumpkin and gooey with scamorza cheese ($14); grilled king prawns with salsa verde ($12); kingfish crudo with fermented chilli ($22); breaded and fried veal with tomatoes and rocket ($39). We’ve all had these things before, or close versions of them; they were delicious then and they’re delicious now.

But there are some dishes that stand out. A pappardelle with hunks of lobster meat and king prawns ($44) is doused in a rich lobster bisque and studded with cherry tomatoes to make a dish that’s luscious and generous and rich.

The vitello tonnato ($22) is one of the better versions in town, the thin-sliced veal soft and pink, the tuna emulsion beautifully creamy, the caperberry garnish adding a perfect vinegary bite.

And some dishes are exactly what you want when you’re in the mood for them. Mushroom tortelloni ($36) comes in a velvety sauce flavoured with porcini and truffle (and yes, there’s probably truffle oil in there, but not enough to ruin the dish).

The 200-gram eye fillet ($46) is cooked perfectly, accompanied by charred pearl onions and mushroom jus.

And there are Sicilian doughnuts ($15) and a ridiculous lemon bombe Alaska ($18), crowned with burnt meringue, which is a crowd favourite.

Waiters seem split evenly between eager, young staff and seasoned servers who know how to charm the ladies who lunch; everyone is very busy and very affable. Some emphasis has obviously been placed on table service and for a place this busy, even minor slip-ups are rare.

Mostly classic cocktails are made with care and the wine list has something for everyone other than the hardcore nerds.

Despite all this, I was a little baffled by Grazia’s extreme popularity. There are so many similar restaurants in town: what is it about this place that has hit the sweet spot, turning it into an instant success? It would seem Di Cintio has read the needs of his neighbourhood well: Grazia is in the right place, with the right fit-out and the right staff, at just the right time.

This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine