THE NEXT ROUND
The latest addition Melbourne’s wine-bar
scene isLuxsmith Bar(above), neighbour
and sibling to pan-Asian diner Luxsmith.
The bar plays a fairly straight bat with the
wine on the shelves, which is available
to take away or drink in, but there’s still
plenty of interest on the list. Craft beer,
cocktails and a briefmenu of Asian-spiced
snacks combine with a hospitable attitude
to create the kind of cosy local every
neighbourhood needs.Cnr Charles and
Gamon sts, Seddon, (03) 9362 7333VIEW FROM THE TOP
Bomba Rooftop Bar, long one of the
CBD’s best rooftop bars, has upped its
game with a second terrace and even
more city views. The snacks have been
expanded with a range of tapas – baked
chorizo, fried school prawns – now joined
by a selection of Catalan toasties (try the
jamón, black truffle and mahón), and
there’s a good selection of sherries and
cocktails, plus a list of G&Ts. Perfect for
summer nights, five floors up.Level 5,
103 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, (03) 9077 0451BY DESIGN
Cibi, the cult Japanese design store and
café in the backblocks of Collingwood,
has moved next door to a larger space.
The menu sticks to its light, nourishing
path (organic soba salad, for example)
with the traditional breakfast set (salmon,
tamagoyaki, greens, miso soup) now
available during the week, too. The
store also sells pantry staples and
fresh produce, and there’s a plant shop
and picture framer on site. A one-stop
shop, Collingwood-style.31-39 Keele St,
Collingwood, (03) 9077 3941Battered fish and chips.
Right: Cetty pizza with San
Marzano tomato, fior di latte,
green olives and pancetta.AND ALSO...
DetailsArbory Afloat
2 Flinders Walk,
Melbourne,
(03) 9629 1547,
arboryafloat.com.au
Licensed
CardsAE MC V EFT DC
OpenDaily 11am-1am
PricesEntrées $6-$19,
main courses $22-$36,
desserts $9-$14
VegetarianSix entrées,
three main courses
NoiseConstant dance-
party music at mid-
strength volume
Wheelchair accessYe s
MinusNo table service
PlusThe miracle of the
Yarra becoming the
Amalfi CoastAlmost everything, aside
from vintage Dom Pérignon
and the small selection of
magnums (including the
pale Provençal loveliness
of the 2016 Domaines
Ott Clos Mireille rosé),
is available by the glass.
Rosé is a sensible choice
when eating pizza by the
water, and you should eat
pizza here. Bennett added
an Italian wood-fired oven
to his repertoire during
Arbory Afloat’s appearance last year
(following a smaller-scale début in 2015),
and charred and blistered crusts with the
right amount of chewiness indicate that
it’s hitting the right temperatures despite
the watery location. Quality toppings
in familiar combinations (tomato, fior
di latte, green olives and pancetta; prawns,
chilli and cime di rapa) stick with the
Italian comfort-food theme.
There’s familiarity across the menu,
and most of it is solidly executed, like the
beef carpaccio given a vitello tonnato-
inspired twist with a caper-forward tuna
mayonnaise. Some of the rockmelon
served with San Daniele prosciutto
hasn’t been ripe enough to warrant
having it on the menu. The same goes
for the tomatoes in the Caprese salad.
With some summer ripening, thesedishes will be exactly what
you’d wish them to be, but
when you’re doing a classic
Italian menu based on
beautiful ingredients it’s best not
to jump the gun.
There’s some kind of enchantment
at work at Arbory Afloat – even having
to order at the bar and go through the
number-on-a-stick routine somehow
seems perfectly fine. The fact you
can book a table for lunch but not
at night-time when things are really
busy? That seems about right, too.
And so does having to stagger your
ordering so all your food doesn’t arrive
at the same time.
The Italo-party vibe and the charm
and efficiency of the young bar and
food-running staff seem to be a powerful
relaxant, even for the most curmudgeonly.
And seriously, what’s not to be relaxed
and happy about when you’re at an
Italian beach club on the Yarra?●48 GOURMET TRAVELLERMelbourne review