If there's one food we could live on for the rest of our lives, it's pasta—and there's a new spot in town serving up this carby cuisine better than the rest. We're talking about Osteria Uno, a charming new Italian eatery in Birkenhead from hospitality dream team Jordan and Sarah MacDonald.
Chances are you're already familiar with the MacDonald brand—Jordan co-founded Culprit, Lowbrow, and Little Culprit, while Sarah was once a contestant on MasterChef New Zealand and is a talented chef in her own right. Together, they own the incredibly popular cafe-meets-bistro, Duo (which is actually right next door to Osteria Uno).
With credentials like that (speaking of which, here's another: Gleber Chaparro of Amano, Lilian, Depot and Sugar Club fame is the head chef here), there was never any question that Osteria Uno would be something special for the community.
Located inside what was originally a butcher's shop and incorporates a number of features from that era into an effortlessly cool new fit-out, thanks to architect Kirsty Mitchell who brought Jordan and Sarah's vision to life. The space transports you somewhere that feels international, fun, loud and high energy while offering delicious and affordable Italian fare for the whole crew.
After a sold-out Bon Appétit event with Stella Artois, the pair are already pushing their creativity and passion with their new endeavour. Bon Appétit was an immersive dining experience where each dish in the three-course menu was inspired by famous movie scenes. The dishes spanned a range of genres from Flashdance, Pulp Fiction, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, paired effortlessly with an ice-cold Stella Artois.
Course one was a housemade rigatoni dish with poached crayfish in a velvety, zesty jus that took the team over a week to develop the flavour. For mains, the infamous Royale With Cheese is "an all-time classic that everyone knows and loves", says Sarah. A super luxe levelled-up version with, of course, wagyu patty, gold leaf milk bun and special sauce. As for dessert, we devoured three tiers of choux buns filled with the absolute perfect ratio of hazelnut, salted caramel and chocolate crémeux, and the rest.
While the event itself has wrapped, let inspiration flow and try to recreate a dish from your fave cinematic masterpiece at home. Or if you want to leave it to the professionals, you don't even have to book (as a matter of fact, you can't—Osteria Uno only accepts walk-ins). Our recommendation? Swing by for their whipped fish roe and crisps with a cold Stella Artois and stay for the casarecce, served with juicy asparagus spears, creamy cavolo nero pesto, crunchy pine nuts and crème fraiche.
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Stella Artois and proudly endorsed by The Urban List. To find out more about who we work with and why read our editorial policy here.
Images: Osteria Uno, Stella Artois and Urban List