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Bar Carolina

44 Toorak Road, South Yarra

It’s been a tough few years for celebrity chef Karen Martini. Her restaurant Hero was sensationally booted from Federation Square, and she revived a shabby St Kilda pub — only for the landlords to sell the building a year later.

Now she’s at it again, with her partner Michael Sapountsis, buying South Yarra Italian favourite Bar Carolina. Is third time a charm?

I have a good feeling about this place.

Martini bought the Toorak Rd restaurant from hospitality identity Joe Mammone (Il Bacaro, Marameo) earlier this year. The seasoned hospo pros haven’t made any huge changes to the place, well, aside from a lick of paint to the teeny dining room and rehauling the kitchen.

The menu remains classically Italian — with a Martini twist — and the hospitality sensibly old-school.

Cocktails are classic and the wine leans Italian with some choice Aussie picks.

Expect all the usual suspects on the menu. Antipasto, burrata, pasta, large-format steaks, fish and a scoop of tiramisu to finish.

Perhaps you’ll start with the white asparagus ($31), a special that’s deserving of permanent menu status. Seasonal and snap fresh, it comes on a foaming burnt butter emulsion with two salty anchovies and a soft boiled egg to rupture at your disposal. A delightful start.

Maybe the burrata ($28) is worth a whirl. Sure, it’s on almost every menu at the moment, but Martini makes it magical with a flurry of toasted pine nuts and hazelnuts, and fennel two ways: as a marmalade and raw.

Make sure you order a side of springy focaccia ($10) for the mop up. Calamari ($32) is another no-brainer. Lightly battered and flash fried, the dish is identical to what you’d be served on the Amalfi coast on your Euro vacation with a sensational chunky tartar.

The crab pasta arguably has a fair amount of Toorak Rd tax added to the price. At $51, it’s a mighty serve though, with a solid amount of fluffy crab meat and a buttery sauce made from crab and scallop stock.

And while I’m reluctant to order specials, I’m told the off-menu duck ($69) is often available.

Best shared between two, the bird is roasted and finished in the Josper oven for a smoky edge. Our serve is slightly overcooked, but bounding with flavour, gnarly burnt skin and still rightly juicy. It also comes with a side salad of radicchio and fries for the price.

Dessert is a no brainer. Martini puts her spin on the classic tiramisu ($24) but the bigne– a ginormous Italian-style eclair, is also worth your time.

The choux ($22) is incredibly light, piped full with white chocolate cream, ripe blackberries and drizzled in dark chocolate. Mama mia!

Sure, Bar Carolina is up there on price, but if you’re a Martini superfan or lover of traditional Italian food, file this under a special occasion dinner for your next night out.

Images: Supplied, Bar Carolina