Modern Australian

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Julie Restaurant – Abbotsford – Friday 8 November 2024 – Dinner

Farm to table dining used to be rare. Now it is increasingly stamping itself as not only attractive, but accessible. You are guaranteed freshness, the environmental impact is markedly lessened, and there is normally a passion that is infectiously shared across the entire restaurant staff.

There is now a farm to table option that is within a very short distance of the Melbourne CBD, and actually backs on to a farm. Abbotsford Convent, and the Collingwood Children’s Farm, just make sense as a venue, though it is never one I had thought about. For those who’ve been to this area you know it feels like going back in time. The heritage buildings, the farm with its bountiful supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, along with friendly animals, a bustling cafe, and a farmer’s market. Lots of events happen here too, including regular markets.

We feel a bit late to the party, as Julie Restaurant opened in September 2023, but better late than never. As we arrive it is a cool early evening for the mid part of Spring, and we note the outdoor tables on the terrace for a future a la carte meal, or a drink, on a warm night. Inside, the white space is quite small, but the high ceiling reaches upward creating an airy space for the dozen or so tables. Many of the tables, including ours, face the opening to the kitchen pass. In that window, chef Julieanne Blum in turn faces the restaurant whilst controlling the quality of the kitchen, and communicating with the terrific floor staff.

I love the feeling you get when a restaurant is going well, and the staff enjoy working there. From the time you enter, through to the farewell, there is a sense of comfort. There’s something clever from the kitchen too with the way the tasting menu works. The menu is on a blackboard showcasing the main dishes for the incredibly reasonable price of $85. Then there are a host of additions depending on your appetite, and tastes. Oysters, beef tongue, zucchini flower, and coral trout are all options on another blackboard to the left.

As well as adding in the beef tongue, and the zucchini flower, we also opt for the buttery potatoes, not because we need them, but because we want them! As we enjoy our excellently executed aperitifs, a house martini for me, and a Campari spritz for Catherine, our obligatory platter of vegetables, preserves, and dip, arrives on the table. This is becoming a clichéd beginning to a farm to table / seasonal restaurant, but we normally enjoy them, and this one is worthwhile. The vegetable fritter served next is packed with oily goodness, and perfectly handled in the fryer to add a different element to the other starters. Housemade sourdough accompanies as a treat in itself.

The wines by the glass are enticing, and there’s good assistance available to choose one when not already choosing the optional wine matching. I’m offered an off-menu Savagnin by Defialy and it is delicious, with great mouthfeel and complexity, showing good fruit, but layered with honeyed notes. Catherine decides on the Garganega by Alla Caster, which is one of a few Italian wines by the glass offered, on a local leaning list. They both go nicely with our mackerel dish, which is a pleasant surprise for Catherine not normally loving mackerel. It is served in a ceviche type style, diced and mixed with asparagus through a buttermilk sauce, with chips used to add some texture.

Our additional entrees come next with charred thinly sliced beef tongue that is superb, and a beautifully presented, and beautiful tasting zucchini flower. The main course is lamb backstrap cooked sous-vide and finished in the oven, with a delicious gravy using the run-off juices, and a long silverbeet that has soaked it in for a full flavour explosion. Buttery Kipfler potatoes are worth the addition, though we were never going to be able to completely finish all of them, and a spread of peas and sugar snaps are wonderful. As a combination this is what comfort food is all about, and the whole meal is just like one of our waitperson’s favourite descriptors, “gorgeous”.

The medium bodied red wine I enjoyed with our lamb was curious enough for me to research following dinner. Made in Alto Adige, Italy, with two grape varieties I’m not familiar with in Schiava and Lagrein, it is great the restaurant is choosing to showcase something so unusual. Had I not already been a fan of Northern Italian wines, perhaps I would have stuck with the safer Grenache. I’ve got used to trusting the intelligence of the sommelier / wine waitperson in these well regarded venues, and normally am better for it.

It was time for dessert and it had been impossible to miss seeing a bunch of good looking concoctions going out in the same glass I had earlier enjoyed my martini from. Here you have a rather savoury leaning dessert with good balance. There’s just enough sweetness in the honey parfait topped with thyme and rhubarb; salt and olive oil show through as key ingredients.

Our experience at Julie Restaurant brought back some interesting memories. It brought us back to when we first tried Atlas Restaurant in South Yarra / Prahran and it was incredibly reasonable as it started life. It brought us back to great experiences further outside of this inner part of Melbourne where you feel you are closer to a farm than city infrastructure. Julie is an anomaly, but a tremendous one, because it is within good reach of many who may not prioritise travelling for such experiences. Looking around tonight there are only happy faces, both on the customers, and the staff, which is the best expression to find at any place.

Julie Restaurant
https://www.julierestaurant.com.au
1-4 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford Convent
info@julierestaurant.com.au
Dinner – Thursday to Saturday; Lunch Saturday and Sunday

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