“M
y style of cooking is based on a
passion for where the ingredients
come from and valuing the farmers
who grow them,” says Napier Quarter
chef Eileen Horsnell. “The dishes on our menu are
driven by what my suppliers are delivering to the
kitchen door, not from an idea I have in my head
about what I might like to cook.”
The recipes Horsnell has shared for this issue are
all about what’s coming through the door of Napier
Quarter in spring. All the dishes have appeared (or will)
on the menu at the tiny bistro in Melbourne’s Fitzroy,
where she returned as head chef earlier this year.
“I moved down from Brisbane to help open
Napier Quarter in 2016 and stayed for six months.
My philosophy has always been about connecting
directly with local farmers, but when I first moved to
Melbourne I had none of those connections,” she says.
“It made it very hard to cook the food I wanted to.”
Horsnell went on to work with Sean Quade
at avant-garde South Melbourne fine-diner Lûmé(she hadworkedforhimpreviouslyat Biotain
Bowral,NSW),butfoundfinediningunsustainable
in the longterm.SoshereturnedtoNapier
Quarter,whereshecouldhighlightandfinesse
“the beautyofsimplicity”.
“I liketosourcemyingredientsdirectlyfrom
farmersandmakethingsfromscratch,”shesays.
“I like making bread, pickles, jams and pasta, knowing
where all the things I’m cooking with come from.”
There’s a lot of making from scratch with the dishes
here and, in line with the restaurant’s motto “quality,
community, artisan”, they’re designed to be shared.
“I’d start with the rye toast and pickled mussels,
then follow with the squid-ink pasta served on its
own, perhaps with a simple green salad,” she says.
“Then I’d serve the saltbush lamb and broad-bean
tagliatelle together and finish with the panna cotta,
but put the dessert in the centre of the table so
people can choose how much they want.”
Napier Quarter, 359 Napier St, Fitzroy, Vic,
(03) 9416 0666, napierquarter.com.au.Napier Quarter’s co-owner
Daniel Lewis (from left),
sommelier and manager
Simon Benjamin and chef
Eileen Horsnell.ALL PROPS RESTAURANT’S OWN.