Australian Gourmet Traveller - (07)July 2019 (1)

Below:pommesAnnawith

blackgarlicandparmesan

(left)andsmokedhapuku

with tomato and fried bread.

witha generoustopping

ofslicedsorrelleavesthat

adda clean,green,citrusy

counterpointtothesalt

andtheseafood,and

firmlylodgethedish

inmemorableterritory.

Rawbeef,roughly

choppedandseasonedwith

whitesoy,is combinedwitha

curiousbutsatisfyingmixof

tinypiecesofsaltedcumquat,

sproutedMountZerolentils

andoliveoilandis topped

withlovagethataddsboth

crunchandfreshness.It’s

a dishwheretextureis

asimportantasflavour.

Makethecabbagea

priority.It’sa headofsavoy

halvedanddousedinseaweedbutter

andcookedovercoalssoit sweetensand

caramelisestoa hefty,meatyrichness.

Hand-shapedcavatelliarrivesas

a visionintanandbrownwithpine

mushroomslollingaboutina saucemade

fromfermentedmushroomsandbrown

butter. Pork rack is cooked, off the bone,

inmultipleways– first

smokedabovethefire(for

themomentona BigGreen

Eggbarbecue),thengrilled,

thenroasted.Themeat

is tenderandsweet,the

cracklinga thinlayeras

brittleasthetopofa brûlée,

andthewholelotis glazed

withanexceptionalsauce

thatSnadden-Wilsonmakes

fromsmokedporkbones.

Dessertsseemtobe

somethingofanafterthought.

Therearejustthree,oneof

which,a too-liquidbread

custardwithpiecesofslow-

poachedquince,wastasty

enoughbutreadas simplistic

anda littleunderdone,more

prototypethanfully-fledgeddish.

You’dbeprettypleasedwithyourself

if Ettawasyourlocal.It’scharmingand

well-pricedandapproachesfoodandwine

witha spiritofadventurewithoutbeing

gnarlyoregotistical.Andtheydelivera

goodtime,theaspirationof all successful

neighbourhood locals.●

Melbourne review

BRUNCHHOUR

NathanToleman,oneofthepioneerswho

helpedpushMelbournebrunchupmarket

withHigherGroundandTopPaddock,has

openedLiminalin thefoyeroftheT&G

BuildingonCollinsStreet.Thetypically

gorgeousspaceis morethana café–

thoughit doesexcellentcaféfoodwith

breakfastbrioche,crispsocca(above),

roast-chickenrollsandtop-ratecoffee–

addingtake-awaymeals,a cheeseshop

anda wineshopintoonestylishpackage.

Liminal, 161 CollinsSt,Melbourne,

(03) 9639 8264,liminalmelbourne.com

BYTHESEASIDE

Anyplacewitha namethattranslatesto

“bayofwine”getsourvote.Butthiswine

baracrossfromthebeachatSandringham

hasfarmoregoingforit.BaiaDiVinohas

a smart,well-pricedwinelistthatloves

Italianvarieties,anda menuthatincludes

woodfiredmeats,crumbedsardines

andsquid-inkraviolistuffedwithminced

prawn.Animpendingbottle-shoplicence

meansyou’llbeabletotakethefunhome,

too.BaiaDiVino,1 MelroseSt,Sandringham,

(03) 9052 4499,baiadivino.com.au

KINGOFCARLTON

TheevolutionofKingandGodfreefrom

historicgrocerystoretomulti-layerfood

hubhasmoveda stepclosertocompletion

withtheopeningofwinebarAgostino.

Glamorousandminimal,it featuresa

menuthatplaysthegreatestItalianhits

• salumi,hand-madepasta,crudo,torrone
  semifreddo– witha winelistcombining
  easy-drinkingItalianvarietieswithmore
  seriousstufffromheavy-hitters.Simple
  things,donewell.Agostino, 297 LygonSt,
  Carlton, (03) 9347 1619, agostinowine.com

AND ALSO...

Etta

60 LygonSt,

BrunswickEast,

(03) 9448 8233,

ettadining.com.au

Licensed

AEMCV EFT

OpenTue-Fri5pm-11pm,

Sat-Sunnoon-11pm

PricesEntrées$16-$21,

maincourses$30-$38,

desserts$10-$14

VegetarianThreeentrées,

onemaincourse

NoisePresent

butcontrolled

Wheelchairfriendly

MinusDesserts

needmoreattention

PlusA localworth

crossing town for

Details

GOURMET TRAVELLER 41

PHOTOGRAPHY

SHARYN

CAIRNS

(INTERIORS), KRISTOFFER PAULSEN (DISHES & PORTRAITS)

& CARMEN ZAMMIT (LIMINAL).