Bold flavours and bite-sized plates take centre stage at Bulimba newcomer Romeo Italian

Long before he rose to national prominence with a charismatic (and victorious) turn on My Kitchen Rules, Simone Presta has always been a proponent of showcasing Italian flavours in fun and interesting ways.

A little twist here, a little twist there – the Naples-born operator adores presenting the cuisine of his homeland in a new light. At Romeo Italian, Simone’s brand-new restaurant now open on Oxford Street in Bulimba (previously home to Medé Restaurant + Wine Bar), small surprises are baked into the venue’s very foundation.

“It’s an Italian restaurant, of course, but with a little twist,” Simone explains. “The idea behind the concept is that there will be many tapas, but Italian style. It’s a mix between tradition and modern. The menu is structured around small dishes, especially for the entrees and the desserts, that will be two or three bites each.”

While tapas are famously a quintessential part of Spanish snack culture, Romeo’s riff on tapas-style small plates looks to enable diners to sample a broad spectrum of Italian fare over an entire meal, just in miniature format.

“We want to allow our guests to have a full experience,” says Simone. “They can have multiple dishes in one sitting and they can try different flavours and different ideas.”

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Picking up a menu, you’ll find Romeo’s rotation of salivation-inducing small plates under the section designated Bocconi – the plural form of boccone, which translates to a ‘mouthful’ or ‘bite’. This section features approximately 13 morsels to work through, many of which play on traditional flavours.

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Some, like the carbo cannolo (a savoury cannoli filled with carbonara compote and crispy guanciale), beef tartare taco topped with cured yolk and chives, and the lasagna spiedino (beef lasagna skewer charred and served with parmesan fonduta), push classic dishes in inventive directions. Other dishes, like duck risotto with porcini mushrooms, eggplant parmigiana with crostino di pane and cacio e pepe tartina topped with fresh raw tuna, showcase familiar dishes in manageable serves.

While one could have an immensely enjoyable time ticking off each small bite, Romeo’s menu also includes large-format dishes.

“Of course, the pasta and the mains will be normal size because you have to give the people what they love – and they love a good portion of pasta,” says Simone with a laugh.

Here, you’ll find steaming serves of pappardelle with beef-brisket ragu, risotto with zucchini cream and seared prawns, and a white ragu alla bolognese with pork and beef. There’s also crispy golden veal cotoletta, sirloin steaks and chargrilled lamb cutlets, enhanced with the addition of sides like pan-fried duck-fat potatoes, grilled broccolini and baby cos lettuce.

Dessert isn’t an afterthought at Romeo’s – the team is making gelato in-house, coated in chocolate and served on a stick. There’s also tiramisu, panna cotta and espresso brulee if you’re in the mood for a classic.

Over at the bar, Romeo’s bartenders are utilising clarification techniques and simple garnishes to craft concoctions that are streamlined on presentation, but big on flavour. These drinks are backed by a 100-strong wine list composed predominantly of Italian varieties, with a few French and Australian drops fleshing out the range.

As for the space itself, Simone and his team spent seven days transforming the venue from Medé into Romeo, opting to give the site a few surface-level tweaks to signify a shift to a fresh identity.

“Medé has one of the best locations in Bulimba,” says Simone. “The place is beautiful – it’s open, it’s bright. The place has stayed pretty much the same, we just made some cosmetic changes.”

In addition to exploring new culinary territory, Romeo presents more novel challenges for Simone. His other venues – bakery-and-restaurant hybrid Doughcraft and Roman-style slice stop Scugnizzi – are both city-based. In Bulimba, Simone is excited to endear his hospitality style to locals, with the aim of making Romeo a welcoming place for the community to congregate.

“Every time I mentioned to someone that we’re going to go to Bulimba, they were like, ‘Wow, that is a great spot.’ I feel like Bulimba is a beautiful, tight-knit community. It’s a family.”

That sense of warmth and connection is woven through every aspect of the restaurant, right down to its name.

“This project is also very close to my heart because I’m naming it after my son, Romeo,” says Simone.

Romeo Italian is now open to the public – head to The Directory for operating hours and contact info.