Melbourne is renowned for its distinguished dining scene. With more than 3,500 restaurants estimated across the city, every new arrival must meet the expectations of a community with highly sophisticated palates.

When chef Andreas Papadakis launched Tipo 00 on Little Bourke Street in 2014 – together with partners Luke Skidmore and Alberto Fava, with whom he runs the Conferre Group – the risk wasn’t the concept so much as the location. At the time, that part of town was better known for camping stores than pasta. But Andreas wasn’t trying to follow Melbourne’s food culture. He was responding to it.

“Seeing a gap in the market for me to eat a good, satisfying bowl of pasta drove me to create a pasta place,” he says. “I could have pasta three times a day. I think pasta is the international food of satisfaction.”

Tipo 00’s exquisite pasta dishes quickly struck a chord with the people of Melbourne, who embraced the restaurant wholeheartedly. “The squid ink pasta has been on the menu since day one,” he says.

As Tipo 00’s popularity grew, the need for a larger venue became apparent, and the idea for Osteria Ilaria was born. Unlike a traditional Italian osteria where people go to drink and perhaps have a snack, at Osteria Ilaria there is an equal focus on food and wine.

With their deep love of Europe, Andreas and Luke wanted their beverage offering to look beyond Italy and embrace a more global perspective – a theme that carries through to the food, too. “My menus are not to fill gaps on a piece of paper,” says the chef. His aim is always to serve food people are excited to eat.

Within a few years of opening Osteria Ilaria, there were two new additions to Conferre Group’s collection: sourdough pizza joint Figlia in Brunswick East, and the specialty deli and wine bar next-door, Grana. Again, Melburnians have poured in, adopting the concepts with enthusiasm.

Adding French flavour

When Harriot – an elegant and refined European-inspired bistro – opened its doors in 2025, it wasn’t because the city necessarily needed a new French bistro. The idea was driven by the Conferre Group’s collaboration with chef James Kelly, who has strong French training.

“I was trained in Paris as well,” says Andreas, “and we all have a love for French wine.

“There’s something true and honest about Italian and French cuisine. It has integrity in terms of the process of cooking and in terms of taste, and how it makes people feel.”

Andreas says building a French menu is similar to building an Italian one – based, as it is, on fundamentals like stocks, sauces and quality ingredients.

“If you use the best Australian garlic that is around, and you do an aglio e olio, it will be good,” he explains. “And if you use good techniques and good flour and semolina, you'll make a good spaghetti. We want to make the best spaghetti aglio e olio, and that means no gimmicks. We’re not reinventing the wheel.”

Being creative, however, is important to him. “Balancing tradition with reinvention is the secret of success to what we do now,” says Andreas. It's this philosophy that has earned rave reviews and cemented Harriot's place as the new French restaurant Melbourne has been waiting for.

Think local, cook global

At the heart of the Conferre Group is a deep commitment to the local community. The chefs work closely with Victorian producers; for Andreas, they are a great source of inspiration.

“We’ve evolved since we started Tipo 00, because we had to,” he says. “I feel like the standard of restaurants is so high, it pushes everyone to do better every year.”

At Harriot, Andreas is focused on promoting and supporting new talent and helping the next generation of chefs make their mark. “For us as a group, and for me as a chef, it’s very important to pass knowledge and skills on to the next generation of chefs,” he explains. “That’s where success lies for us.”

Andreas is regularly in attendance at all of the Conferre Group kitchens, encouraging collaborative creation. “Everyone has a voice,” he says. “Everyone’s on the same level. Collaboration is the best thing for creativity.” He adds that he learns as much from his staff as they do from him: “That’s how I can grow.”

A city that never stands still

The key to his achievements within Melbourne’s dining scene, Andreas believes, is a willingness to be authentic and innovative at the same time. “That’s the golden recipe,” he says. “It’s hard and doesn’t always work, and it can’t be forced.”

From their early beginnings at Tipo 00 through to their recent foray into French food at Harriot, the Conferre Group’s journey offers a window into what makes Melbourne one of the world's great food destinations. The city has its own character – curious, creative, never standing still – and that’s reflected in the thriving dining scene. For the chefs who succeed, the secret ingredient isn’t merely skill; it’s a willingness to continue evolving, even when they’re at the top of their game.

In a scene defined by constant change, longevity is its own kind of achievement. For the Conferre Group, relevance isn’t about keeping up, it’s about keeping things in motion. And this is one business that intends to bring the best Melbourne food experiences for a long time to come.