9

Carlton

Wine Room

172-174 Faraday St,

Carlton

(03) 9347 2626

thecarltonwine

room.com.au

Licensed

CardsAE MC V EFT

OpenWed 4pm-

11pm, Thu-Mon

noon-11pm

PricesEntrées

$11-$22, main

courses $22-$39,

desserts $14-$18

Vegetarian

Four entrées,

three sides

NoisePresent but

kept in check

Wheelchair

accessNo

MinusThe upstairs

dining room lacks

downstairs’ buzz

PlusHospo

veterans get it

exactly right

WALTZING MATILDA

Scott Pickett’s daughter is the

namesake of his new restaurant,

Matilda(above), a moodily lit

wood- and coal-fired grill designed

by Projects of Imagination. Under

a scalloped ochre ceiling, Pickett

keeps the flavours of his well-

sourced produce (Lakes Entrance

octopus, Macedon Ranges duck)

and an Aussie accent (kangaroo

tartare, tiger flathead) front and

centre with char and smoke kept

to a well-balanced supporting

role.159 Domain Rd, South Yarra,

(03) 9089 6668

TASTEOFITALY

Riccardo Momesso (Sarti, Valentino)

puts a modern Italian spin on

breakfast and lunch at caféFerrovia

in Pascoe Vale. Eggs Benedict get

a makeover with pancetta, Napoli

sauce and salted ricotta, while

Calabrian poached eggs come

with ’nduja and cannellini beans.

At lunchtimes, and on Friday and

Saturday nights for dinner, there’s

gnocchi with a beef ragù or paccheri

tossed with oxtail and chestnuts.

8 Railway Pde, Pascoe Vale,

(03) 9379 7377

SPICED UP CLASSIC

Rochester Hotelhas teamed up

with chef Mischa Tropp who has

turned the menu Keralan. There are

rejigged pub classics – chips served

with curry sauce and fried chicken

fragrant with cumin, fenugreek and

cardamom – alongside south-west

Indian dishes like a spicy fish nadan.

Good local beer on tap and on-trend

wine add to the appeal, as does the

scent of spice that makes the Rochey

the best-smelling pub in Fitzroy.

202 Johnston St, Fitzroy. (03) 9419 0166

Details

AND ALSO...

straightforward Bolognese-style
pork and veal sauce with spaghetti,
or a casarecce with a deep-flavoured
tomato, cuttlefish and tripe ragù
that’s worthy of a standing ovation.
There’s more Italian with
snacks such as anchovies on fried
bread topped with fresh ricotta,
pickled red onion and fennel tips.
And with the stracciatella, the
beautifully textured stuff from
Melbourne producer That’s
Amore, teamed with a jumble
of mushrooms pickled in red wine
vinegar and soy, finished with crisp
fried rosemary leaves and a splash
of chive oil and served with a
brilliant, crisp-edged square of airy
potato focaccia. The rum babà is
also a credit to the kitchen, steamed
to order then drenched in a rum
syrup with just the right amount
of boozy burn and accompanied
by a thick, sweet crème diplomat.
Italy is the core of the menu,
but it’s a broad church. Steamed
Portarlington mussels are matched
with wonderfully creamy Spanish
chickpeas, mint and cucumbers,
tossed in a sprightly sweet and
sour dressingand dolloped with
aïoli. Grilled slivers of ox tongue
mixed with a mustard leaf salad
and pickled shallots is equally
impressive, as is the kohlrabi
rémoulade, rich with mayo and
cornichons, that comes with it.

It’s a menu full of stuff you

want to eat right now, and then

return to eat again. Travis Howe

does the same thing with wine,

limiting his edit to 100 wines and

changing the mix weekly. The list

is annotated with cute symbols

designating organic and biodynamic

wines (a person hugging a tree),

skin-contact wines (an orange) and

sparkling wines that will be served

in a regular wine glass rather than

a flute because they’ll taste better

that way (a wine glass).

It’s a light-hearted way to

explore a modish collection of

labels that sticks mostly to small

producers from Italy, France and

Australia. There’s plenty of stuff for

fans of the pungent natural (2015

Dinavola “Dinavolino” malvasia

blend from Emilia-Romagna) and

the gorgeously balanced classic

(2010 Mount Mary “Quintet”

Cabernet blend from the Yarra

Valley) with a democratic range

of prices. Ideal for a corner local.

The service is ideal too, the

kind that appears effortless and

unrushed but doesn’t miss a trick.

It’s grace and charm all the way.

The Carlton Wine Room has

experienced peaks in previous

incarnations but this version is

something special. There’s no flash

or dazzle, just the right team in the

right place at the right time.●

From left:

mussel salad

with cucumber,

chickpeas and

mint; rum bab

with crème

diplomat.

GOURMET TRAVELLER 33

Melbourne review