Wining & Dining Hotspots

Kaffeehaus Vienna – ‘Pop Up’ Viennese coffee house at NGV
NGV has launched a ‘pop up’ coffee house Kaffeehaus Vienna, over the duration of exhibition Vienna: Art and Design (until 9 October).

Kaffeehaus Vienna celebrates Viennese coffee culture, which played a pivotal role in the development of the city’s remarkable arts and culture at the turn of the 20th century. Located in the Great Hall with seating for approximately 100 people, the cafe’s menu recreates famous Viennese deserts including sachertorte and strudels laden with double cream as well as savoury lunch items, inspired by traditional Viennese cuisine such as venison pies. The wine list features wines by the highly acclaimed Bertold Salomon of Salomon Estate, located in the Finniss River wine-growing region, South Australia.  Trumer Pills, the iconic Almdudler Limonade, and traditional Austrian iced teas will also be served.

Visitors wanting to make the most of the experience can book in for a specially devised ‘Viennese Inspired Afternoon Tea’ ($35) which includes traditional Viennese cakes and pastries, savouries, sandwiches and tea, which is also available as a package with a ticket to the exhibition ($55).

The Kaffehaus, designed by Meme Interior Designers and Architects, takes influence from the radical designer’s of the period. There are strong design cues from Joseph Hoffman’s monochromatic interiors with particular focus on Cabaret Fledermaus, with the synergies between the brightly adorned walls of Cabaret Fledermaus, and the Leonard French Great Hall stain glass ceiling, providing a natural link.

More information: www.ngv.vic.gov.au/kaffeehausvienna

The Carlton Wine Room
A new upmarket restaurant and wine bar with a contemporary European influence, the Carlton Wine room has opened on Faraday Street in Carlton by business partners Jay Bessell, former general manager of iconic city eatery, Il Solito Posto, Michael Tenace and Connie Capello. 

Matthew Silovic, former sous chef at acclaimed Melbourne restaurant Verge, heads up the kitchen marrying a high-tech approach with fresh seasonal produce. The menu, based around share plates, features dishes such as barigoule artichoke and fennel, smoked beetroot, carrot, roasted onion consume, smoked eel croquettes with sweet corn puree or orange polenta cake with fizzy grapes and caramelised white chocolate ice-cream. The wine list offers an extensive range of drops from around the world, with a strong focus on local and Italian wines. Both full and half glass options are available – with the latter a great ‘small taste’ opportunity for diners wanting to sample a range of varietals.  

With a stylish but low key look from designer Marlowe Cobb (Aesthetica) includes pendant lights by lighting designer Tom Dickson above the staircase, floating pigeons hanging from the ceiling and cool shades of white and blue. The owners show also their affiliation to the Melbourne design community through each specially commissioned recycled Tasmanian Oak tables with Jarrah inlay by local carpenters Gareth Devenish from Organictreeoh and Alan Falconer.

the venue runs over three levels - with the ground floor offering casual dining and a bar, the first level restaurant-style seating on the first level with tables and semi-private booths seating ideal for longer stays and an underground wine cellar doubling as a private dining area seating for up to 12 around a handmade Tuscan rosewood dining table. A fourth level, The Tower Room, is soon to open.
More information: www.thecarltonwineroom.com.au

New Fitzroy wining and dining – Four new hotspots
An abundance of interesting bars and restaurants have opened in Fitzroy in the past year including Huxtable, the Town Hall Hotel, the Kodiak Club, Naked for Satan and the new Attic Bar above Black Pearl, and now there’s even more reason for tourists to linger in this trendy inner city suburb with news of another four new venues launching in recent weeks.

A new addition to the perennially cool Gertrude Street is The Everleigh, an elegant bar created in the style of a 1920s ‘speakeasy’, inspired by New York’s legendary venue Milk & Honey.

Establishing itself as a destination for discerning cocktail drinkers who appreciate finely crafted drinks prepared by knowledgeable staff, The Everleigh specialises in classic cocktails: old fashioned, fizzes and sours reflective of the era are executed superbly while for those who are feeling bit more adventurous, the bar staff can create drinks especially tailored to the individual customer’s palate. The menu also makes use of fresh fruits and juices, fine spirits and hand-cut ice all while promoting an atmosphere of respect and responsible drinking.

The bar’s interior has a polished ‘old school’ charm to it, with refined wooden bar and floors and stylish leather booths to linger in.

Co-owners Lauren Schnell (recently featured in Bon Appétit Magazine and on the Bacardi website as a master mixologist) and Michael Madrusann worked at the original bar and its sister venue Little Branch, and opened The Everleigh with assistance from Milk & Honey’s founder, Sasha Petraske.

Marcello Tummino, founding partner of The European and The Melbourne Supper Club, has opened a new restaurant on Brunwsick Street, Eat, Drink, Man, Woman, with chef Daniel Schelbert (ex-Hare & Grace) at the helm.

Located on the site of the old Retro Café, the spruced-up eatery features fresh, bright décor and a long granite bar where the chefs prepare food on one side and customers spectate on comfortable bar stools on the other. The menu is different enough to draw visitors to the area but also includes a comforting breakfast menu to keep the locals happy. Highlights including Son-in-Law Eggs with peanut salad and charred roti, a Croque Madame jaffle with fried egg, béchamel sauce, BBQ Balinese-style Pork Belly, while a snacks menu kicks in from 3pm with ‘bites’ and ‘spikes’ such as Roasted Bone Marrow and Pickled Shallot, and Sardines and Tomato on Toast.

Meanwhile at the city end of Brunswick Street, a new sustainable coffee house, Slowpoke Espresso, has opened in a small but chic industrial space. Owner Curtis Riddington uses organic and locally sourced produce with the menu including homely soups and stews alongside generously filled grainy sandwiches and Turkish rolls. Coffee is provided by cult New Zealand supplier Coffee Supreme and barista Nick Milwright’s skills ensure the brews live up to Melbourne’s coffee connoisseur standards.

The final new addition to the neighbourhood Mana Bar Melbourne opened its doors at 336 Brunswick Street on July 16, much to the delight of Melbourne’s techno-geek and gaming communities. Similar to its sister venue in Brisbane, the Mana Bar Melbourne offers patrons the intriguing combination of a unique cocktail menu alonside the latest video games. Equipped with seven LCD TV’s in multiple rooms running the latest games on the PlayStation®3 (PS3™), Xbox 360™, and Nintendo Wii™ systems, the bar also features a nightly program of events such as ‘Super Mario Smash Bros Thursdays’ and ‘Geek Movie Trivia’ which has seen queues outside the venue from the very first night.

Bistro Guillaume re-opens at Crown Entertainment Complex
A little bit of France has popped up on Crown’s riverfront dining precinct with the re-opening of celebrated chef Guillaume Brahimi’s Bistro Guillaume in its new position within the Crown Entertainment Complex.

Inspired by traditional French neighbourhood bistros, the reimagined Bistro Guillaume sits in a perfect position between Nobu and Number 8 restaurant and wine bar and, in the style of Parisian bistro, offers great riverfront views with broad outdoor terrace overlooking the Yarra.

The lunch and dinner menus by head chef Graeme McLaughlin (formerly of Sydney’s Quay and Tetsuya’s restaurants) are just as suitable to casual dining as they are to celebrating a special occasion. The French flavours include croque madame, steak frites with béarnaise sauce, half a roasted chicken with Paris mash and chicken jus, and sides like ratatouille, gratin dauphinois and – of course – French fries. Choose from a simplified wine list of 20 carefully selected red and white wines, half from France and the other half from boutique Victorian wineries.

The natural, light-filled space pays homage to French bistros with its warm panelling and mouldings created from rich French oak timber. However, the  restaurant remains distinctly ‘Bistro Guillaume’ thanks to the signatu

For more information: www.bistroguillaume.com.au

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