It’s your local, but not as you know it
A rebellious regional Italian eatery for a refined, modern palette.
Inspired by Northern Italian roots, Ostēr guests enjoy the philosophies of typically casual osteria enveloped into sophisticated urban dining.
Using strictly seasonal produce and championing hyper-local growers & artisans Ostēr presents a trusted periodic a la carte menu balanced by an exciting static tasting menu. A regularly updated and entirely Australian beverage offering features smaller producers, house-distilled liquor, and locally curated bottled cocktails to complement the overall local experience.
Your time at Oster will never be the same but will always feel the same.
Your host
Chef, Nicola Romano
Chef and founder Nicola Romano, an Italian-born citizen of the world, wants to host you, his way.
Nicola grew up in a family of builders and wood-packers in Lombardy, Northern Italy, but went against the family grain to become a chef. He studied at the Caterina di Medici school in Brescia before embarking on a global career spanning Ireland, Tuscany, Spain, Greece, England and Dubai. His work experiences include Michelin-starred restaurants Martín Berasetegui (Lasarte-Oria, Spain) and BANG (Dublin), as well as Sesto on Arno (Florence), Devero (Manchester) and Viajante (London).
Nicola is proud to have worked alongside some of the best names in the business, especially his two mentors - Irish chef Kevin Gallagher (ex-Noma) and Albanian chef Entiana Osmenezza, who trained under Italian icons Fulvio Pierangelini and Gualtiero Marchesi. As well as inspiring Nicola to create world-class dishes, Kevin and Entiana kept his creativity grounded and reminded him that simple cooking is best.
Nicola arrived in Melbourne in 2013, and the eclectic food scene inspired a dream to create a brand new hospitality experience bringing together all of his passions – simple food, local ingredients, music, art and of course, people.
After testing out the concept with pop-up restaurant Chapter 53, Nicola opened up Ostēr on Bridge Road in 2019. Ostēr’s cuisine has its roots in Nicola’s native northern Italian dishes, but to describe it as modern Italian would be to sell it short: it’s grounded in Nicola’s classical training, but takes fresh inspiration from local producers, seasonal ingredients and Nicola’s worldwide travels to create a fine dining experience that’s entirely original.
When you step into Ostēr, you step into Nicola’s world and put yourself in his very capable hands. And while it won’t always be the same experience, it will always be delivered with heart and feel like home.
Our philosphy
We model our concept loosely on the osteria. A place where guests are hosted with warmth and familiarity. Where local producers are given a platform, and local people are. This is our primary value for hosting. Traditional, communal, unfussy.
On the plate
We believe unabridged attention to detail does justice to produce. From farming, preparation, presentation, right through to service, no part of the line is less important than the other when creating a sophisticated dining experience. We take this into consideration always.
On the plate, our offering delivers traditional concepts steeped in slightly radical ideologies. Enchanting guests a little out of their comfort zone. But ultimately it is always about championing produce.
We believe when all the above can come together the outcome is out of worldly.
In our service
Ostēr’s front of house is insidiously professional, but we keep that on the down-low, preferring to relax the service a little. Everything we represent at Ostēr favours the exceptional but it’s about loosening the tie and having some fun.
Ostēr, derived from the Italian ‘osteria’, means “to host”, and just like at a traditional Northern Italian osteria, the primary objective at Ostēr is that everyone is at well-looked-after.
We run strongly on this philosophy.
““Simply put, in our dialect, “ostér” means “host”, and that’s what we’re most passionate about. At Ostēr we’re drawing from all our past experiences to host. Hosting the produce, hosting our values, hosting our team and most importantly, hosting you.
Our intentions with Ostēr – aside from delivering exceptionally good food and wine – is to make you feel at home. The rest you’ll just have to experience for yourself.”
–Nicola Romano, Founder/Chef
