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Bar Olo

Saturday: 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM
165 Nicholson Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053
Phone
(03) 9347 0292
Website
barolocarlton.com.au
Instagram
@barolo_carlton

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 24 Jul 2024

By
Tomas Telegramma

Inside Bar Olo, a sibling bar to Scopri in Melbourne

It’s named after one of Italy’s most famous – and famously expensive – wines. But this dream neighbourhood wine bar isn’t just for those who enjoy the finer things.

A table setting at Bar Olo in Melbourne
Why you goBeloved Italian restaurant Scopri, which opened in 2010, has strengthened its stronghold on Nicholson Street in Carlton with the opening of this companion wine bar down the road. Bar Olo, like its older sibling, is an ode to the wining and dining that’s synonymous with the Piedmont region of Italy – so much so it gets its name from the area’s renowned wine: the big, bold red Barolo. As you swish through the curtains into Bar Olo, there’s an old-timey elegance. Diners cosy up alongside dark timber panelling or perch at the dramatic marble bar as perfectly warm lighting casts a golden glow over the room. An open kitchen gives you a glimpse into how the northern Italian dishes come to life, but this place has a welcoming buzz that means you’ll likely lose a few hours living la dolce vita surrounded by like-minded barflies doing the same.
What drink to orderBarolo is (literally) the name of the game here, and there are always a couple by the glass so you can try something swanky without having to shell out on a whole bottle. (The Bussia Barolo from well-regarded winery Poderi Colla was recently priced at $45 a glass.) But Barolo isn’t the be all and end all here – other top Italian wines like Barbaresco are well represented on the list, and there’s a solid selection of aperitivi from Piedmont, too.
A line-up of Italian wines at Bar Olo in Melbourne
Scopri's signature dish of agnolotti with rabbit, pork and veal is served at Bar Olo
What to pair it withScopri is one of Melbourne’s most reliably excellent Italian restaurants, and you can expect that same level of polish at Bar Olo, even though the menu is admittedly snackier. Chef Kirsten Sattler uses as much produce as possible from the Scopri family’s farm in the Macedon Ranges for a broad range of northern Italian-style dishes. But there’s no going past the tramezzino of the day – an Italian white-bread sandwich with the crusts cut off; it might be filled with hunks of prawn, salsa rosa (a creamy, tomatoey sauce) and crisp onion from Tropea in the southern-Italian region of Calabria. Other classics include fritto misto, a plate of mixed fried seafood with chilli salt, or vitello tonnato, the wafer-thin slices of veal topped with creamy tuna sauce and fried capers. Scopri’s signature dish of agnolotti del plin has made its way to Bar Olo, too; the ravioli-like pasta parcels are filled with roasted rabbit, pork and veal, and finished in a butter-sage sauce.
Why we love itWhile you can book in advance, you don’t have to – unlike at Scopri, which is regularly filled to the brim. Walk-ins are well and truly welcome at Bar Olo, adding to the laid-back, no-pre-planning-required vibe of the Italian bars it was inspired by. A few tables are reserved for spontaneous drinkers rolling in off the street, or those who want somewhere suave for a drink nearby before or after dinner at Scopri.
Regular’s tipTwo words: aperitivo hour. In this economy, it’s not often a wine bar of such calibre dishes put out snacks for free. But it pays to be early to Bar Olo – if you visit between 4:00pm and 6:00pm any day it’s open, that’s exactly what you’ll get. The only catch? You need to buy a drink to unlock the offer, so get ordering. The bite-sized snacks on the roster vary from day to day, but you can almost guarantee they’ll be cheesy, carby or both.
A table with dishes and wine at Bar Olo
Barolo is the focus at Bar Olo in Melbourne
Don’t leave withoutAdmire some of the gorgeous artworks by local creative Billy Gibney – aka Billy Vanilli (though chances are the statement pieces will catch your eye as soon as you walk in). One piece, lit from above alongside the bar, is a moody blue-tinged Champagne tower. Another, mounted on a timber-panelled wall on the other side of the room, depicts a delicious tablescape, centred around a bottle of fancy Monfortino Barolo.
Make it fancyWhat better way to immerse yourself than to ball out on an expensive bottle of Barolo? Some – like the aforementioned Monfortino from revered Italian producer Giacomo Conterno – will set you back somewhere in the realm of return flights to Europe. But there are plenty of other more reasonably priced bottles in the collection, which is constantly growing as more become available through the bar’s supply channels.
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In partnership with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
Authour image
Tomas TelegrammaTomas is a food, drinks and culture writer, and former Broadsheet Melbourne editor.
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Drinks DirectoryCasual catch-upSpecialty BarAfter work drinksDate nightHappy hourFancy occasionMelbourne – Inner NorthBarMelbourneTop notch wine list
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