Feeling a little post Honeymoon blues, it was perfect timing when we heard the Stick on Grill pop-up was heading to Enoteca Sileno in Carlton North. Everything about this pop up tied in perfectly to create a rustic, Abruzzo atmosphere to really make you feel like your back in Italy. Only open on Friday and Saturdays from 6pm and Sundays from 12pm, it’s best to make a booking to ensure you aren’t disappointed when arriving!
ATMOSPHERE & SERVICE
The restaurant is located at the back of the Enoteca Sileno shop, where you get a pretty good preview of what you’re in for walking past all the authentic goods to be purchased. Walk past the Italian imported wines, cheeses and pastas and you enter their outdoor private terrace area.
Words cannot describe how amazing this space is. A canopy of vines blocks out the sun, creating a rustic shaded space. Outdoor furniture fills the space with marble looking tables, black chairs and a beautiful feature wall of vines and uplighting.
The space was smokey with the amazing smell from the charcoal in preparation for our much anticipated arrosticini’s. It may have been smokey, but it was an amazing smell and definitely added to the atmosphere of the true Italian vibe.
The staff were friendly, attentive and had a fantastic knowledge of the Abruzzo region. They had a passion for what they were serving and made small talk with each of the customers to make them feel welcomed.
FOOD
Stick on Grill offers both dining at their current pop up location at Entoeca Sileno, or they can bring the delicious food to you with their successful catering. The team have created ‘A Night in Abruzzo’ to recreate the magic from back in the day with rustic homemade pasta’s, meats and nibbles. The concept is for good food to be enjoyed around the table in good company.
Once seated, you are given a complimentary glass of Prosecco to start the night in true style. While looking through the menu, it was quite difficult to decide what to order as it all sounded so amazing. We decided go order a few shared entrees and far too many arrosticini (which no doubt we would finish!).
Entrees consisted ‘Olives’ which were warmed with almond flakes and oregano, ‘Lupini’, which are marinated lupini beans and ‘Cotiche’, pork crackling with rosemary and sea salt. Talk about a good way to start off! While enjoying our nibbles, the arrosticini grill was fired up to get the coals piping hot for our order.
Our next entree to arrive was the ‘Pallotte Cacio e Uovo’, cheese & bread polpette with homemade tomato and basil sauce. Usually we aren’t one’s to order seconds, but there were spot on to the real thing you would find in Italy and HAD to order a second round! The sauce was pure perfection and the consistency was light and fluffy.
Now for the main highlight of the night, ‘Arrosticini Abruzzesi’, lamb skewers grilled over hot coals. There is no other way to describe these than AMAZING! Every trip back to Italy, we always visit family, who bring these out in the hundreds to cook up. I must admit, there were exactly the same in taste and quality that you would find in the heart of Italy.
To go with the Arrosticinis, we ordered the ‘Pizza di Randinio’ which is a crumbed corn bread, chicory, garlic and anchovies. Don’t be confused by the name, this isn’t a pizza, but more a tasty salad.
Overall the restaurant was absolute perfection. We definitely can’t wait to head back throughout the summer and enjoy some true Italian food right in the heart of Melbourne!
