Lupolab opened its doors in July 2019 and was immediately bowled over by the crowds. They roast their own beans on the premises and one suspects the splendid coffees – there are different varieties and roasts to choose from – are the big attraction for the morning crowds.
The food is not to be sneezed at though. With dishes from a mostly Roman playbook – cacio e pepe, carbonara – making way for other house-made pastas as the seasons change – pappardelle tossed with pork-rib ragù, say, or pillowy gnocchi. The cooking is no fuss, no fad, no surprises, and very well done.
Classics abound on the short lunch card, in season this might mean a pasta salsiccia e porcini, a classic Tuscan blend of sausage and forest mushrooms, while saltimbocca alla Romana, a flash-cooked veal escalope dish, is made fragrant and salty with sage leaves, prosciutto and burnt butter.
The wine list takes a scattergun approach with titles predominantly from Italy, and a few from Margaret River and the Barossa Valley.
