Matteo’s – Dani Valent

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533 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, 9481 1177

My score: 4/5

A mature and satisfying restaurant culture needs buzzy newies but it also needs restaurants like Matteo’s. For 20 years, Matteo’s has balanced consistency and innovation, striving for high standards ahead of saturation coverage. Proprietor Matteo Pignatelli grew up in the northern suburbs, making pizzas in his family’s takeaway shops; he’s a genial presence here and in Melbourne’s broader hospitality scene. He’s watched them come, he’s seen them go, and through it all, he’s welcomed diners into his glamorous restaurant, a sprawling and venerable villa that once housed the legendary Mietta’s.

Chef Brendan McQueen has led the kitchen for 10 years. His food is original, mixing French and Japanese (and other Asian) flavours and methods. The combinations are robust rather than whimsical. Think miso and bisque, roulade and daikon, or polenta-crusted tofu. It can be a bit out there but it can also be sublime. A seafood tasting plate stars seared tuna, dotted with spiky wasabi mayo and anchovy-salty olive tapenade. Both condiments amplify the richness of the fish. Also on the plate, a dainty carpaccio of octopus tentacles is topped with octopus-and-prawn dumpling bound with béchamel sauce. The third element is a terrine of citrus-cured salmon: its crème fraiche and fine herbs say France but the Chinese broccoli leaf wrapper tells a different story. I think some plates have too much going on: rolled rabbit mousse is a good medium for spicy Korean flavours but a sauce and two condiments introduce coconut, tomato, kimchi, coriander, parmesan and lime, muddying the integrity of the dish. An earthy dessert demonstrates McQueen’s knack with textures and sweet-savoury collisions, partnering chestnut and mascarpone cream with cocoa nib ‘granola’ and beetroot sorbet. There are plainer dishes (steak, chocolate fondant) but you can almost hear the resigned sigh that accompanies the imperative to put these crowd-pleasers on the menu.

The wine list offers interesting drinking and excellent value. Service is smooth, gracious and warm. Creature comforts include upholstered chairs, tablecloths, and swishy drapes. Longevity requires working the angles: Matteo’s has function spaces, a relaxed Sunday lunch offering, and respectful vegetarian and children’s menus. It’s professional and hospitable, offering sophistication with a cheeky wink, and plenty of reasons to return.

See their website.

More contemporary fine dining:

Brooks, Basement 115-117 Collins Street (enter George Parade), Melbourne, 9001 8755
The menu goes two ways at this ambitious and energetic restaurant. There are homely roast chicken or fish dishes to share, and ambitious modern French creations like beef with burnt vegetables and duck with grape leaf.

Press Club, 72 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, 9677 9677
George Calombaris’s reworking of his modern Greek flagship restaurant is intimate and theatrical.

Prix Fixe, Alfred Place, Melbourne, prixfixe.com.au
Instead of taking bookings, Prix Fixe sells non-refundable tickets via their website. A themed menu changes monthly, adding to the ‘dinner and show’ vibe. April is pork, so think charcuterie, porchetta and Miss Piggy.

First published in The Age, April 13, 2014.

2018-05-04T11:52:19+10:00

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