COOLCOMFORT
TheteambehindCollingwood’sCongress
andRichmond’sFutureFutureis now
doingall-dayItalian(above)in North
Fitzroy.Lagottofollowsthetemplateofits
siblings,witha stylish,user-friendlyfitout
(marble,terrazzo,banquettes,indoor
plants),greatserviceanda menuof
comfortfoodthatstartsthedaywithcacio
e pepeeggsandbuckwheatpolentawith
mushroomsandfinisheswithmeatballs
andgnocchi.Thecoffee’sgood,thewine
listsharpandthevibeflexible.1 York St,
FitzroyNorth,(03) 9005 1953.FRENCHACCENTS
AttheCapitolGranddevelopment,
executivechefStephenNairn(Vuede
Monde)is testingthingsoutatOmnia,
a pop-upbistrowitha menuthatruns
thegamut,fromsteaktartareandwhole
floundertofloatingislands.The35-seater
hasa texturedtimberandleatherfitout
anda strongteam,includingbartender
OrlandoMarzo(Lûmé).Rumourhasit
thatOmniamaystickaround,butgo
now,justincase.23-25ToorakRd,
SouthYarra,(03) 8080 8080.COURTINGFLAVOURS
ThefoodcourtatStCollinsLanehas
addedkatsusandwichspecialistSaint
Dreuxtoitsimpressiverepertoire.Taking
theporkkatsusando(panko-crumbed
pork,fluffywhitebread,tonkatsusauce)
asa startingpoint,SaintDreuxoffers
variationsthatincludeprawn,egg,
chickenandwagyu,allcookedtoorder
andservedina sleekmatt-blackbox.
There’sexcellentcoffee,too,plusyuzu
sodaandcastella.Level2,StCollinsLn,
260 Collins St, Melbourne, (03) 7016 8973.AND ALSO...
Navi
83bGamonSt,Yarraville,
(03) 9939 9774,
restaurantnavi.com.au
Licensed
AEMCV EFT
OpenWed-Sat6pm-
11pm,Sat2pm-5pm
Prices5 courses$85,
8 courses$120
Vegetarian&
veganOnrequest
NoiseContained
WheelchairaccessYe s
MinusFivecoursesonly
availableWedandThu.
PlusCulinaryadventures
in a western back street.DetailsThenthere’ssnapper,
slow-cookedtoanadmirable
leveloftendernessandserved
withfermentedpotatoes,
a musselemulsionanda dot
ortwooffingerlimethat
reinsintherichness.
Similarlypork,topped
withcrisp,crackling-like
pig’sears,is combinedwith
caramelisedradicchioand
a powerful,chutney-like
native-fruitragùthatincludes
quandongs,muntriesand
wattleseed.A backbeatof
eucalyptusalmost,butnot
quite,overstepsthemark.
Theserviceteamhas
beenwelltrained,understandingthat
toomuchinteractionwitha multi-course
mealina small,darkroomlikethiswill
getirritating.Explanationsarekeptto
a minimumunlessyouask.
Thewinetalk– andlist– alsoerr
onthesideofbrevity.Thedrinkslist
is democratic,withoneeyeontrend- kombucha,someminimal-intervention
labels,a leantowardssmallproducers - andanotherongivingthepeople
what they want via geographic spread,
reasonablepricingandan
understandingthatthereare
thosewhowillonlydrink
classicallymadewine.
Navi’slistincludessome
excellentVictorianpinot
noir,storiednamesincluding
CullenandMountMary,and
somesemi-outliers,suchasa
pinotagefromRavensCroft
inQueenslandandSonoma
zinfandelbySeghesio.
Thesweetstuffis as
strongastherestofthe
menu.Hill’sdessertsdon’t
emphasisesugar– thesign
ofa thoughtfulkitchenthat
understandsthedemands
ofmulti-coursedining.
Bestinshowis a mandarinsorbet,
teamedwitha butterscotchmadefrom
reducedmandarinjuice,olive-oilcustard
anda crumbleflavouredwithcoffee,
cacaonibs,blacksesameandalmond.
Navi’sappearanceina backstreetin
Melbourne’sgentrifyingwestcouldbe
interpretedas a signofthetimes.Butwhat
Hillsis achievingisn’tattachedtotrendor
neighbourhood;he’sgoinghisownway,
and that’s Navi’s greatest strength.●Clockwisefromleft:mandarin
sorbet,coffeeandchocolate
crumble;Hillsatwork;
chargrilledoctopuscape
gooseberry, bunya cream.48 GOURMET TRAVELLERMelbourne review
PHOTOGRAPHY ED SLOANE (NAVI) & ANSON SMART (LAGOTTO).