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AllATreviews are conducted anonymously and our writers pay their own way – so we experience exactly what you would.CLOCKWISE FROM
LEFT: The long marble
bar welcomes casual guests;
The upstairs dining room
keeps it minimal; Khodja’s
decadent, signature Turkish
delight soufflé.drop-ins. Dark and moody, the main dining room
is dominated by the glow of the open kitchen, while
a second upstairs dining room, white-washed and
minimal, has an entirely different persona.
The menu offers starters, sides and bigger shared
dishes. We started with an entrée of just-seared
calamari stuffed with aromatic minced prawns and
a flaky mushroom-filled borak – a great example of
Khodja’s subtle Algerian accent in refined cuisine.
His slow-cooked goat with caramelised onion and
apricots is winning hearts all over Northcote, and with
good reason. Aromatically spiced, the meat is tender
and moist, with just enough fat and connective tissue
present to keep things interesting (and delicious).
Meanwhile, a delicate duck bastilla with almonds and
a quenelle of fruit chutney says all the things that
Moorish cuisine says so well; it’s lightly fragrant,
texturally exciting and thoroughly intriguing.
Desserts have also had their passports stamped in
Algeria, with rose, cardamom and orange blossom all
peeking through. Soufflé fans should not pass up the
fluffy pink joy of Khodja’s Turkish delight soufflé.
Served with pistachio baklava and halva ice-cream,
it’s like a delicate cloud of decadent deliciousness.
Locals have embraced Camus because it’s warm,
approachable, heartfelt and generous – rare things
to come by in this often superficial, trend-driven era.
Khodja has plenty of reasons to feel proud.TWENTIETH-CENTURY philosopher, Albert
Camus, once penned an existential essay, The Myth
of Sisyphus, about a man’s futile exercise of pushing
a boulder up a mountain just to see it roll back down.
In High Street, Northcote, there’s a big hill (Rucker’s
Hill), but no such wearying challenges for the strip’s
prospering flock of cafe owners and restaurateurs. The
place is positively buzzing – on both sides of the slope.
Like Albert Camus, chef and restaurateur Pierre
Khodja was born in Algeria but spent a big chunk
of his life in France. He trained in Michelin-starred
restaurants before arriving in Australia over a decade
ago, where he’s collected accolades running the kitchen
for others, but only now had the chance to shine solo.
When he opened Camus in January, Khodja said,
“For many years I’ve worked for other people, cooking
with one hand tied behind my back. Finally, I get to
cook with both hands.” Both hands, and his whole heart.
The menu beautifully balances Khodja’s Algerian
heritage and his classical French training. When
non-native chefs attempt Arabic or Middle Eastern
cuisine they tend to overdo the aromatics, but here,
there’s commendable restraint and delicacy of touch.
The space itself is contemporary and casually elegant,
with plenty of Victorian-era character – high ceilings,
big windows – kept intact. Three distinct spaces each
have their own look and feel. At the front, a casual bar
area has pendant lighting and a long marble bar forDETAILS
CAMUS
61 High Street,
Northcote, Vic;
camusrestaurant.com.au
Verdict: A great addition
to the Melbourne dining
scene, Camus elevates
North African cuisine
with an original and
soulful approach. When
a passionate chef gets the
freedom to cook from
the heart, magic happens.
Score:
We rated: The romantic,
well-lit ambience; the
polished-yet-warm
service; and Khodja’s deft
mix of heartfelt Algerian
authenticity and French
culinary skill.
We’d change: Depending
on where you sit, the
vague sense of being
monitored by the
(open) kitchen.mythical dining
INNER-NORTH
newcomer, Melbourne’s
CAMUS combines
MOOR ISH SPICE
and classic FRENCH
TECHNIQUE with a
big dose of heart, writes
LEANNE CLANCEY.
WEEKENDS | Reviews