A Carlton local gets a winning revamp with
the right team in the right place at the right
time, writesMICHAEL HARDEN.
Wo r k
the room
N
obody’s been
clamouring for a
broccolini-based spin
on the Caesar salad.
Tuck into John Paul Twomey’s
rejig of the classic though and you’ll
wonder why not. Warm broccolini
at the base, diced, fried smoked
pork belly, aïoli heftily flavoured
with Grana Padano, chopped
hard-boiled egg and a generous
shower of black pepper over the top.
It looks great, tastes better and will
have you signing on for a return
visit before the plate is scraped
clean. Welcome to the Carlton
Wine Room rebooted.
Twomey is a third of a new
CWR team that’s like a hospitality
version of fantasy football. He wasAndrew McConnell’s right-hand
man for years and is joined here by
Andrew Joy, another McConnell
alumnus who won theGTMaître
d’ of the Year gong when he
ran the floor at Marion. Travis
Howe, former Coda and Tonka
sommelier, is the third member
of the squad.
Add the prime location
that CWR has always enjoyed in
Carlton’s Italian heartland and
it was always going to be a safe bet
that its latest incarnation wouldn’t
suck. There’s always a possibility of
hopes being dashed when a line-up
looks this solid, but here they’re
paid with interest.
It starts with the space that’s
had all its good bones emphasisedClockwise from
top left: (from
left) manager
Andrew Joy,
sommelier
Travis Howe
and chef John
Paul Twomey;
broccolini with
smoked pork,
parmesan and
chopped egg;
the upstairs
dining room.by designer Samantha Eades’ deft
makeover. The upstairs dining
room’s striped horseshoe booths,
textured white-tiled walls and
timber floors and tables are
cosseting and sophisticated.
But if it’s buzz you’re after, stay
downstairs. Here, the bar has been
given a new white marble top, and
a covetable oversized poster by
Croatian artist Boris Bucan hangs
on the wall as a backdrop. White
tiles, dark stained timber, clean
lines, street views through multiple
windows: a classic Carlton aesthetic
given modern-day context.
The same could be said for the
menu. There’s a distinct Italian
lean here, most obviously realised
in the daily pasta. This might be a32 GOURMET TRAVELLER
PHOTOGRAPHY TIM GREY (MATILDA) AND JULIAN KINGMA (CARLTON WINE ROOM)