Brunswick East

Etta – Brunswick East – Dinner
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Etta – Brunswick East – Dinner

There’s a reason there are countless lists and guides all over the internet and traditional media. Over time my infatuation has subsided to a degree, but I still find a strong desire to venture to list toppers.

As an example of this, while I didn’t book the minute it won best restaurant in Victoria for Gourmet Traveller, I still put Etta on my list of “places to try” in my phone’s notes. It’s a little awkward getting to Brunswick, and often groups or work circles won’t do the distance. This time we had circumstance go in our favour.

For one, we were going to be nearby anyway, and Catherine was driving. As I told a few people either we were going (in the lead up), or had been, I realised we are not alone in our thoughts about Brunswick. However, I’m an advocate for the area, and every time we are in this part of the north I would like to be back sooner.

That goes for Etta too. It was stunning. On the way home Catherine asked me to stop going on about how much I enjoyed it! Some of the dishes were outstanding. For the majority of the evening, service was great, and throughout the atmosphere was energetic and vibrant.

One of the early dishes had me spellbound with incredibly prepared abalone that is like no abalone I’ve ever tried. This Greenlip abalone and lardo skewer must give the chefs the same feeling as when a robber cracks a safe.

Next is the tried and tested entrée favourite of anything raw and fishy with acid. Don’t get me wrong, there is a reason why most groups I dine with have these types of dishes in their requests. It delivers on freshness, has a healthiness aura, and awakens the palate. Here, the tuna crudo is spectacular – it is packed with serious depth of flavour. It’s like your favourite gelato in Italy. Even when you are surrounded by excellent gelato everywhere you can still find that one that stands out for you.

The excellence kept coming from the kitchen. Red curry rice salad was a nice crisp addition to our mains, and worthy of inclusion in isolation too. Tempura enoki with charred wombok and shiitake mushrooms is a different and delicious shared main. Rainbow trout comes out as a nicely cooked fillet of fish that can be shared in a group, but is equally as nice as a sole main. Finally, the grilled half chicken was perfectly cooked and added a meat element to a largely seafood focussed meal. I even rated the Ramarro farm leaves to break it up.

The list of wines by the glass keep your interest, and meet the versatility of flavours on the menu. Favourite varietals like Vermentino feature, along with more obscure Sagrantino, and a Savagnin, all better known in Italy and France, but with a growing following in Australia. All three I tried were well found by the curator of the list, and by Australian producers.

To finish, dessert was a pandan and amaretto frangipane tart with palm sugar ice cream. With Tarts Anon down the road it is hard to say it is a standout tart for me, but it was a nice way to end a beautiful meal.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll have an outstanding experience just because one of the many best restaurant lists has awarded your chosen venue, but I do find it to be a worthy gauge. In this case, Gourmet Traveller was spot on because Etta is clearly a restaurant that has it sorted, and I hope to be back very soon.

Etta
https://ettadining.com.au
60 Lygon Street, Brunswick East
+61 (3) 9448 8233
hello@ettadining.com.au

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Attachment – my Pope Joan story

Pope Joan – Black pudding, truffled polenta, fried egg & cauliflower

Four walls can be so much more. When I heard from my wife that Pope Joan is to close earlier tonight I thought “that’s sad” but it wasn’t until a few hours later that I felt compelled to write about it.

It is not wholly unusual for me, but I am emotional. The connection we sometimes build to places is incredible. Most of us know love in an object, such as our family home. I am sure there are many of us who build an emotional attachment to many more places, including our favourite cafes.

Doughnut with jam and cream

Pope Joan has been open for 8 years. When it first opened, Catherine and I used to go so often that some of my friends would roll their eyes when it was mentioned. Like any relationship we had our good times at Pope Joan, and our not as good times. The underlying quality of food, service and the intangibles such as the atmosphere, and the feeling you have when in the space, was the reason we kept going back and have for 8 years.

Pope Joan’s Kinda Full Breakfast

There are some obvious elements in a cafe, or any venue, that capture a following. For us, Pope Joan had more than the obvious. It was all of a 20 minute drive, sometimes worse in weekend traffic (even taking our backstreet methods that became a necessity!) Living in Richmond we were surrounded by great cafes within and close to our suburb, but we still ventured. To this day one of our favourite waitpersons worked at Pope Joan.

The Cuban

Matt Wilkinson has a love for what he does. I have not once spoken to him, but the passion and quality he brings is infectious amongst the entire staff. It is that intangible quiet confidence that is so difficult to replicate. Maybe it is just not being surrounded by Scandinavian everything? No, it is more than that.

Pope Joan omelette

I’ve sat around drinking coffee after coffee with friends, doing the form on the Monday before the Melbourne Cup. We have had an almost-Australia Day BBQ afternoon. We’ve been when it is pouring with rain and freezing cold; we’ve been out the back when you need sunscreen and a hat.

When it comes around, the crab omelette is brilliant. The Pope Joan (bacon and egg roll) is still one of my favourites. The rice pudding is a dish that I will still speak about when I have great-grandchildren.

I would like to say to Matt and his staff a huge thank you. At the same time I would like to remind other restaurateurs and hospitality staff that places only get this type of love when there is real passion and feeling. That wonderful purpose of being hospitable, and having an aspiration to be inspirational is the reason for success. Good luck in the future. We’ll miss this patch of Nicholson Road, Brunswick East.

Previous reviews:

Breakfast 2015
Lunch
Breakfast 2014

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Pope Joan – Brunswick East – Sunday 27 September 2015 – Breakfast

Pope Joan - Black pudding, truffled polenta, fried egg & cauliflower

Pope Joan – Black pudding, truffled polenta, fried egg & cauliflower

Our adoration of Pope Joan over the years could be turned into a novel of epic proportions. Of course, like many great stories, it is easy for our trusted friends to brush off the importance of each visit, or the level of dedication to our work.

Pope Joan omelette

Pope Joan omelette

There is dedication and then there is obsession. While the obsession to see what is going down at Pope Joan on a fortnightly basis has dulled, the dedication to visit at least once a season is still burning bright. Matt Wilkinson’s breakfast creations were the first that stunned me, and ever since I have seen some of them matched, but not bettered.

The ones I keep going back for include the crab omelette (although any omelette here is delicious) and anything with black pudding incorporated into the dish. Today, Catherine goes with the special omelette, and I order the black pudding with truffled polenta, cauliflower (including puree) and a fried egg. Both are up to the usual standard and we leave satisfied once again.

For past reviews of Pope Joan, see below:

Breakfast in March 2014
Lunch in August 2014

Pope Joan Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Pope Joan – Brunswick East – Sunday 10 August 2014 – Lunch

Doughnut with jam and cream

Doughnut with jam and cream

Pope Joan has changed over the years. Matt Wilkinson’s masterpiece started as a humble breakfast spot before doubling in size with a bar, adding a deli soon after, and doing lunch and dinner too.

I’ve noticed that when you get to the Pope after midday there can be a little confusion given the great selection of non-breakfast dishes. Being handed a wine list as you ask for a coffee and hearing amazing sounding specials when you feel like bacon and eggs is a little odd. Today we have actually come for lunch, but are here before we have started some breakfasts!

The Cornish

The Cornish

It is intentional. I feel like coffee and wine, mains and dessert! Devastation at the latest instalment of the Black Pudding based dish being sold out leads to a nice surprise with the Cornish chicken sandwich proving another fantastic find. The stuffing used gives it a certain luxury and the jalepinos are not overpowering at all.

The Cuban

The Cuban

Catherine opts for the Cuban which is their version of a pulled pork roll. It is spicy like it should be and full of flavour. The pulled pork is just special. It’s something we all know ridiculously well. It’s on every second menu in Melbourne and we keep going back. But trust me, Pope Joan’s is special.

The Heathcote rose we are drinking, using Nebbiolo grapes, is particularly good for washing down anything. It follows my long black, as always nicely made, and Catherine’s sparkling apple from Mornington producer Mock.

This cafe provides a unique experience. There is nowhere else that I feel so utterly compelled to order the rice pudding, or doughnuts to finish. Or the homemade ginger bread, or a macaron! Today it’s the doughnut with jam and cream. It never gets boring having fried dough with sugar, jam and cream. The main difference here is the quite tart jam which means you are having sugar overload without necessarily tasting it.

Whether you are there early or late there is great food and drink here. The staff are always happy and seem to understand they are working in a great place that is cutting edge. Brunswick East is extremely lucky to have Pope Joan to call its own.

Pope Joan on Urbanspoon

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Pope Joan – Brunswick East – Sunday 16 March 2014 – Breakfast

Pope Joan is my favourite café in Melbourne.

An old friend, when it comes to the Pope, there have been many great times, many good times, and some rough patches in between.  Sometimes making up can be part of the fun!

I have been here to grab a quick “Pope Joan”, a fancy bacon and egg roll with HP sauce, even taking it away once.  I have been here to sit around doing the form for Melbourne Cup day for hours, eating breakfast and dessert (the rice pudding is particularly good, especially when mangoes are fresh, but the rhubarb and blueberry are great too), and sipping up to four cups of their standard (read – good quality but not fancy) long black from All Press.  Today my wife, Catherine, and I are doing the “usual” of having some breakfast and a couple of coffees.

Pope Joan's Kinda Full Breakfast

Pope Joan’s Kinda Full Breakfast

I am biased towards the Pope because I have been here over 30 times, driving from Richmond no less, and it has only let me down a couple times. Every other time there is something that delivers that extra 10%. One of the let downs is a funny story. [You can skip down to the review if having a quick read!]

Having waited the usual 5-20 minutes for a table, we waited a further 30 odd minutes for coffees which came just after our breakfast. I think this was because the new wing (Bishop of Ostia) had just opened and their timing was out with another 20-30 seats available. In any case, I could live with this. However, Catherine tried a new dish, which at other places you might stay away from but the hit rate at the Pope is exceptional so she took a stab. It didn’t turn out well. On being asked at the counter as we paid, in a bit of a mood over the coffee wait, and the oddity of the dish (it was croquettes with a creamy sauce, some leaves and I think some beetroot (apologies but this is over 2 years ago)), she replied “it was average”. The unusual comment was met with a look by the chef at the time (I actually think it was Wilkinson himself) and a glance down at more of these dishes going out. Anyway, the reason the story is funny is because a week later we returned and the dish was so refined it was practically a new dish that didn’t contain such a jumble of flavours and textures and by all accounts was now delicious!

Today I decided to have the “Kinda Full English Breakfast” ($21). I am not a huge eater so this is my kind of full breakfast. One piece of toast, a couple of fried eggs, amazing bacon smoked next door (Pope also owns “Bacons and Hams” which you can get a takeaway or wait coffee from), an apple & cider sausage, and their amazing baked beans. Every aspect is as it should be, and every item on the plate has something better about it. It’s a case of one-upmanship ingredient by ingredient.

While I love the rolls, and dishes that are often on the menu from time to time like the crab omelette, my favourite dish is the golden egg (crumbed egg perfectly cooked) with their homemade black pudding (which is less offally than normal, with a great amount of spice). Watch out for it!

Rice pudding, organic rhubarb

Rice pudding, organic rhubarb on another visit

As we finished, I couldn’t help but make sure Catherine’s rice pudding (this time with blueberries) was as good as ever and following a couple of coffees we were on our way. Another great experience at a very comfortable place doing the best café food in Melbourne.

 

Pope Joan Post Script

Salmon Pastrami with Golden Egg

Salmon Pastrami with Golden Egg

Yet another visit to Pope Joan revealed some new dishes on their menu. Having always been a big fan of the “golden egg” I was persuaded towards the salmon pastrami dish. As breakfast is more and more often becoming as gastronomically competitive as dinner, it was not surprising how beautifully presented this dish was. Everything on the plate worked beautifully together and calling the star “salmon pastrami” was justified as it had the constant reminder of classic pastrami through the depth of spice used. The only letdown was the golden egg which had been slightly overcooked meaning the normally runny goodness of the yolk was not able to combine with the other ingredients to add that extra burst. Definitely worth ordering though.

Pope Joan on Urbanspoon