In the mountain village town of Myrtleford on Victoria’s Great Alpine Road, the fresh tang of basil fills the air, carried by the steam rising from the hot pasta. Despite it being months since the last of the basil was in season the very essence of its vibrant, clean and arousing aroma has been captured in the house-made pesto at Lupo’s Kiln Café.
In the warmer months this old steel-grey corrugated iron tobacco kiln by the Great Alpine Road is almost obscured by the rambling vegetable garden where the Lupo family grow most of their produce. Come autumn and the basil is turned to pesto, the tomatoes into sugo and the other vegetables preserved in jars. Former tobacco growers Michelle and Ermanno Lupo found a new direction by bringing the family’s Italian heritage to life in this café-style roadside diner that also serves the rail trail cyclists.
It’s an inviting space inside, the deceptively large rustic dining area integrated into the old kiln by skilled local craftsmen working with recycled timbers and warmed by a wood heater. The Lupo family’s love of music is celebrated with traditional musical instruments decorating the walls and Ermanno’s grandfather’s handwritten scores preserved under the glass-topped antique doors that serve as the tables.
The main offering here is pasta. Excellent, old-fashioned handmade egg pasta: fettuccine, fusilli, spaghetti and rigatoni. From the kitchen also comes plump ricotta and spinach ravioli. The spaghetti with Bolognese is a pure classic, the beef lasagne more than generous and the little meatballs with the rigatoni are rich and plump. The sauces are made by Ermanno’s mother Giuliana and brought together with the pasta during service by another local Italian, Jessie Terteci and her assistant Debra Arundel. One of Lupo’s best dishes is one of the simplest, a bowl of soft, pillow-like gnocchi, simply finished with browned butter and fresh sage leaves.
It’s open from breakfast so you can start the day with eggs straight from the chooks scratching about the yard across the rail trail, or a serve of three muffin-sized quiches served with bacon and homemade tomato relish. The front cabinet is packed with large, moist cakes, all made by hand. Next to them are ready-to-go packs of pasta and pasta sauce, prepared for busy local families or travellers heading up the Great Alpine Road to Hotham or Falls.
Perhaps the most charming and generous part of Lupo’s is the corrugated iron cubby house that sits above a hollow tree trunk in the enclosed children’s play area. ‘We want to be accessible to everyone,’ says Michelle. ‘So everyone can have good quality and tasty food in a warm family atmosphere.’
134 Great Alpine Road, Myrtleford, Victoria
Tel 03 5752 2310
www.luposkilncafe.com.au
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