The Sicilian Family Recipe Book Behind Richmond’s New Southern Italian Opening
Richmond welcomes Spaghetti Club, a new Southern Italian restaurant on Swan Street built around a faded orange recipe book carried from Sicily to Melbourne.
The venue, from MAMAS Dining Group, draws directly from the childhood of co-founder Lucas Gugliandolo, whose late Nonno spent years cooking across Sicily before moving to Australia, including at the still-operatingBar Irrera Messina, not far from the family’s home.
Over decades, Nonno filled a well-worn orange notebook with recipes gathered throughout his career, beginning in pastry kitchens during the 1950s, before expanding into the Southern Italian dishes that became the centrepiece of weekly family dinners.
Every Monday night, the family gathered around cotoletta with homemade potatoes, fresh pasta rolled that morning, warm bread, lasagna, involtini and pasta alla norma. Now, those recipes have found a second life in Richmond, with menu items such as:
“The orange book was never meant to become a restaurant,” says Gugliandolo.
“It was simply Nonno writing down what he cooked throughout his life, from pastry kitchens in Sicily through to the dinners we all grew up around. Seeing those dishes evolve into a menu in Melbourne feels incredibly emotional for our family.”
The interiors draw from that same sense of inherited nostalgia without leaning too heavily into tradition. Amber-toned lighting, dark timber panelling, stained-glass detailing and white tablecloths reference the warmth of Nonna and Nonno’s home through a more contemporary lens, while marble surfaces, plush booths and candlelit tables give the room the looseness of a neighbourhood trattoria.
Leading the kitchen is Head Chef Michael Fleming (ex Totti’s Bondi, Botanical Hotel and Press Food & Wine Adelaide), whose childhood in Myrtleford, a regional Victorian town shaped heavily by Italian migration, informed much of his approach to food long before stepping into professional kitchens. Working closely with Gugliandolo’s family, Fleming has reinterpreted recipes that regularly appeared at the family table, translating them through Spaghetti Club’s live-fire kitchen and house-made pasta program.
“It’s not about replicating the dishes exactly,” says Fleming. “It’s more about preserving the feeling of their generosity, simplicity and food that naturally brings people together around a table.”
That balance between Italian tradition and Australian upbringing occasionally surfaces more directly throughout the menu too, including a Vegemite focaccia inspired by the pantry staples and Italian-Australian households Fleming grew up around.
Highlights from the menu include cacio e pepe arancini with black garlic aioli, house-made spaghetti vongole with bottarga and lemon, involtini filled with provolone and herb crumb, and Nonno’s Lasagne layered with bolognese, béchamel and ricotta before being baked until deeply golden at the edges.
The pork chop cotoletta, a nod to the Monday night staple Gugliandolo grew up eating, arrives thick-cut with fried capers, parmesan and green goddess dressing, while desserts lean into old-school Italian comfort with tiramisu, ricotta cannoli and zeppole drizzled with smoked honey.
The beverage list, curated by MAMAS Dining Group Beverage Manager Aaron Wall (ex-Eau-De-Vie), leans into Italian aperitivo culture through spritzes, Negronis, Italian lagers and local wines designed for long lunches and late evenings alike. A refined yet uncomplicated cocktail menu features Campari and Villa Massa limoncello. Highlights include:
- Sicilian Sour – a refreshing yet sweet take on the Amaretto Sour
- Not Your Nonno’s Negroni – Nonno’s twist on a classic
- Espresso Martini – served hot or cold with chai cream
The wine list features Italian classics, such as Barolo, Negroamaro, and Primitivo, alongside vibrant Australian blends and familiar labels to suit every palate. Beer remains distinctly Italian, with Birra Moretti and an assortment of Italian lagers on tap, alongside bottled Peroni Red and Menabrea.
Every Saturday and Sunday from 3 to 5pm, the venue will host Aperitivo Hour, encouraging guests to settle in for snacks, cocktails and a slower pace of dining before dinner service begins.
Spaghetti Club is open seven days a week; Monday & Tuesday: 5 pm – 11 pm, Wednesday – Sunday: 12:00 pm, – 11 pm.
https://www.spaghetticlub.com.au/
Image credit: Salt House