Chef Karen Martini’s next move is revealed – and she’s set to raise the roof(top) in Carlton

Johnny’s Green Room, a magnet for Melbourne’s northsiders seeking a rooftop watering hole, is in the midst of transforming into a food and drink destination, with the addition of chef Karen Martini and cocktail master Matthew Bax (ex-Bar Americano).

Martini, whose Hero restaurant at ACMI in Federation Square closed last month due to a breakdown in contract negotiations, has been brought on as culinary director to create dishes “you might eat on a terrazzo in summer in Italy somewhere,” she says.

The Valmorbida family has operated King and Godfree since 1955 and renovated the site in 2018 to add Johnny’s Green Room. The rooftop bar closed in July for a refurb that includes a retractable rooftop for year-round visits, plus new furniture and a greater seating capacity. Designer Dion Hall’s other work includes Music Room inside the Her building in the CBD and Supernormal on Flinders Lane.

Martini has written a menu that includes tuna crudo with pickled fennel, calamari fritti on skewers with Italian-style tartare sauce, and stracciatella with green melon and cucumber.

An extensive pizza line-up will still be part of the bar’s DNA, but given a Martini spin. Expect mortadella with pistachio pesto and buffalo mozzarella, and crisp shredded potato with fried rosemary and marjoram, plus optional pork sausage.

“We wanted a relaxed modern Italian menu that lends itself to drinking and convivial eating,” says co-owner Jamie Valmorbida. “Innovative dishes using great ingredients and, of course, pizza [meant] Karen was the perfect match.”

The Italian-loving drinks list written by Matthew Bax (creator of some of Melbourne’s best-loved bars including Der Raum) includes a limoncello margarita using house-made citrus liqueur, and a Sgroppino featuring lemon gelato made downstairs at Pidapipo frothed with prosecco and vodka.

A soft-serve machine is part of the kitchen kit. “But not everyone is working with Lisa Valmorbida,” says Martini, referring to the family member who founded Pidapipo. The pair are working on an adult version of neapolitan ice-cream involving strawberry and olive oil granita, and a bitter chocolate sauce.

As part of her advisory role, Martini expects to be at Johnny’s two to three days a week after the initial launch period.

“We view it as Johnny’s coming of age,” says Jamie Valmorbida. “The only thing that hasn’t changed is the views.”

The bar reopens in December.

Level 2, 293-297 Lygon Street, Carlton, johnnysgreenroom.com