G'day. If you're new here, and you are interested in the Melbourne food and drink scene you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or the email newsletter below. Thanks for visiting and enjoy eating and drinking in Melbourne. Cheers.
There are no sharks in bondage kit. But there is something very Damien Hirst about the salumi (that’s Italian for cured meat) counter. It’s about chopped-up (and cured) bits of animal in a display case. Perhaps it is the backdrop of the curtain drawn across one of the five tiled dining areas in Giuseppe, Arnaldo & Sons that makes it look that way.
The last time I saw something similar was a cow at the now closed Saatchi Gallery on London’s Southbank. And there was the display case chic at Quo Vadis, a short lived Hirst partnership with Marco Pierre White.
If you haven’t heard about this joint you should. It’s from the Maurice Terzini camp, he who started Caffé e Cucina before moving on to (not neccessarily in correct order), Il Bacaro, Melbourne Wine Room, Otto, Icebergs and that other little tratt in Bondi.
Chef Robert Marchetti is having the salumi cured to his specifications in Lismore in northern New South Wales. It is very good and very tasty. For $12 you get five of the thinnest slices of prosciutto cut on the special hand operated slicer, one that transports the meat across the blade rather than the other way around.
We arrived at around 11.30pm and the kitchen was not serving from the main menu. At one point it looked like we were to be turned away but manager Ari Vlassopoulos, who I met when I scoped out the restaurant pre-opening, recognised me.
What we could order was hardly slumming it. Baccala Fritto - salt cod balls, crab sandwiches (too rich for the Martini Monster who has a flabby pancreas), three year old Rocco Reggiano.
What I really like is the wines served by the carafe from $16 to $22 for a half litre which is brilliant at a time when it is difficult to find anything to drink at under $40 in other joints of this quality.
There are no tablecloths and the knives, forks and condements are stacked in stainless steel bins on the tables.
The room itself is divided into five, each faced with a slightly different hand-made tile of Sicily. Outside the same effect is used for a long narrow smoking area which has the feel of a Neopolitan bus station. What the Roman designers, Lazzarini Pickering Architetti, have done is clever. I didn’t think they would pull it off with the tiles without making it look like the inside of a men’s lavatory. But they did.
At this point the Martini Monster launches into Entourage. Our Ari (I think) is in earshot as she discusses the other Ari (played by Jeremy Piven), the usual expletives and specifically cunt (I can’t believe I didn’t ** that out) muscle. I’m not sure we got away with it.
But it probably doesn’t matter because with it’s hard edges I’d imagine nobody would be able to hear us on a normal night.
I’m not a natural fan of the casino, but the presence of its new batch of high end restaurants including Rockpool and Nobu is growing on me. I like Terzini’s new millenium Roman tratt. And I like the styling of the waiters in their white coats (apart from mangement who wear black) and Converse trainers.
And I guess like with Damien Hirst styling is the key word. This is a designer place that sits on the reputation of Terzini. For now the prices look like excellent value with pasta dishes in the low $20 range. I want to go back for more but the fact that you can’t book a table may stop me. But I’ll try while the prices stay low.
For tomorrow though I have a table booked at Bistro Guillaume. Sure, I try and live on the edge with the Martini Monster. But I do like some certainty.
Food Fascist
Coming soon: Food & Wine Daily - a site in development. Let me know what you think.
Already here: Very Cheap Eats. Let me know if you’d like to join.
Jack beat me to blog GAS.
Popularity: 11% [?]
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Salumi is the new black. No tablecloths too.
Clustering condiments like a Vietnamese Hawker, oh so now.
Assagio, ditto.
Chuck Taylor’s? Red Crocs on the brigade? An extension of ‘The New Casual’.
Local meat, artisan, smokehouse, meat hanging from hooks on display?
Kitchen in view of patron perhaps? Big name player? Another expression of The New Voyeurgasm.
Carafes and cask or bulk wines. Razzle Dazzle, the trend for eighties nostalgia sans shoulder pads.
I’ll presume the food tastes ok. So how many more trends/cliches will be uncovered at this pleasure dome? How much will filter down to the mainstream venues?
Nice, Ed. Cute flag. I was given a sweet red, white and green lapel pin that I’ll wear when I head back on Friday night, hopeing its some kind of secret VIP club, where wait lists are for non wearers… (maybe not?) Hope you kept that flag, it could be the bar version!
Cheers for the link.
Jack
“Look at me Kimmie - I have one thing to say to you. Vegan Nightmare”.
Ed, I think ‘cunt-muscle’ should be hyphenated.
Sticky, I’m sure more of this is coming to a street near you soon.
Jack, I didn’t keep the flag or get a lapel badge. Why not?
AOF, LOL! You could try the baby beets with goats curd and ask them to draw the curtain to hide the offending bodyparts.
Kylie, how am I meant to do that with the parentheses in between?
Sounds great. Hopefully will eat there next week.
I do have a booking for Bistro Guillaume Thursday night though - you beat me by a day - very excited about that. Will be interesting to see whether the quality is as good as Guillaume at Bennelong in Sydney. If it is we are definitely in for a real treat.
Jon,
I’m looking forward to my snails in an hours time and some really good French food. I’ll try and get something up tonight.
Thanks Ed. Will be good to get a heads up before I visit, especially if you stumble upon an amazing must-try dish.
Happy eating,
Jon!
Another bloody place that won’t take bookings!
I find the prospect of standing around for 30 or 40 minutes waiting for a table unacceptable.
Elliot, my view exactly. I don’t mind wondering 5 minutes up the street on the off chance but if I’m planning a night in town I prefer a little certainty.
Noticed this in Epicure online today from John Lethlean’s interview with Ruth Reichl:
‘Giuseppe, Arnaldo & Sons: No (”pleasant service, very nice look . . . It all sounded so tempting, we ordered way too much, and then just sort of sat there wishing it would go away”).’
Arrived at around 7:15pm, told table available at 9:30pm. Stupidly decided to wait. Got table at around 9:50pm. Spent too much time waiting for service and beverages. Food was very average will not be going back. Veal Cutlets too oily took one bite and left the rest. Pasta was nothing to write home about. Did a quick survey with the table next to us who ordered different meals and the verdict was average food and NOT worth the wait. Not sure why there has been such hype about this place.
Sticky, I saw the Ruth Reichl comments.
Connie, interesting to hear. There has been some debate and a fe negative comments on Chowhound. I was very surprised the huge blowjob given in The Age. There’s a lot of hype about the casino and more than a few negatives coming out about Nobu and its dirty loos as well.
When you hear about an authentic italian restaurant opening, to then find out that menu items have been mispelled - kinda makes you wonder how authentic it really is huh?
Have heard about the hype and have been meaning to go but I guess my delay has pretty much made it clear - might give this restaurant a miss, after all would prefer a plate of TAGLIATELLE rather than “Taglaitelle”, and how about Chitarra rather than “Chittara” (which in Roman means guitar) just to highlight a few…
So my advice for any future italian restaurant openers - get the spelling right! Please!!
Buon appetito…
Conpen, A level of detail i didn’t notice having poor Italian. But you’d think these guys would get it right. I think salumi is the thing here. And as a senior news exec said today the tiles did remind her of a loo.
Went to GAS expecting the great food, wine and service that you receive at North Bondi Italian. We arrived at 6.40pm on Saturday the 12th April and were told to expect a one hour wait only to wait just over 2 1/2 hours for a table of six. We sat in the bar area by the internal entrance and even though there were 6 of us dressed very well and sipping cocktails every person that walked through the door was somehow not sure where to go and tried to book a table with us sure it was funny for a minute but 2 1/2 hours of it only added to our fury. We finally sat at our table and were ready to order instantly we ordered thirteen dishes and the waitress asked if we would like them all at once??? Still fuming I politley suggestred that as we were sharing all the dishes they should be staggered in the appropriate order. They were delivered in two rounds hot and cold and well below average I will not bother to list my gripes with every dish (all but 3 were really ordinary)I’ve dined at the Icebergs and Nth Bondi over 10 ten times and was so so so disappointed that the restaurant was running this badly and the food was of such a poor standard. It made for a truely crap night and to top it off I felt ill from the food I did consume!
Just a different point of view, now eaten here twice (more than once so must have thought it was good.) First time we visited, I think the second Friday it was open (good Friday) arrived 8pm, was told there would be a 40min wait - waited about 40mins, so as good as they said. Though I was frustrated that others seemed to just rock and be taken straight through, and the bar waiting area is annoying, the waitresses don’t seem keen to serve you, and it isn’t the best place to sit around. Second visit was a sunday, was told we would have to wait 15mins, sat down in 10mins. So again on the money - though i do agree, i need certainty when going out - i know roughly when i will be hungry and can get there, and hanging around really isn’t what i want to do.
Anyhow the food - mozzarella ball, excellent, really enjoyed this, shared between two - it would be too much for one - though they didn’t cook it, so can’t take that as a reflection on their food. Seconds - I had the sausage pasta, the wife the beef ragu - mine was good, hers ok. We also had 1 liter of the chilled red - very nice.
next time round, we both skipped a starter - i had the lentils and sausage - again, very good, the wife crab pasta - this was good. We then followed with the trifle - again a nice dish. To drink - the chilled wine again.
Would we go again? if we were walking past and could sit down within 10 mins yes, but anything more than that, and it isn’t worth it. Also both times we were hit with the 10% surcharge (public holidays and sundays) - wasn’t keen on this, i wonder if the staff are paid 10% more to serve me. The restaurant itself, can be noisy, and for the size of the place you do sit too close to others.
Anyhow, didn’t meant to go on - but just wanted to mention both times i’ve been they have had the timings right.
Thanks for the comments guys. It seems that the experience at GAS is inconsistent. I’m surprised about the Sunday surcharge.
Ed,
Visit last night to GAS. Few comments, wait time was ok, tables so close together nearly sitting on each other (but it is a bit like that at The Press Club). Menu on place mats cute, Gamberetti interesting combination of taste and texture, Culatello salumi melt in your mouth (even if it was from the pig behind!), Polenta with Gorgonzola as a side superb, Rigatoni with pork sausage luke warm and service mediocre.
Hmm maybe I’m getting too fussy but my expectation with high profile restaurants is that the dining is a whole experience although this may be influenced by visits to Vue de Monde and Kin.
Mustang, I think we are entitled to be fussy.
Ed,
I went to GAS last night - straight through to a table with no wait. But then waited around 20 minutes for further service.
The food was good and served fast. We had the beetroot with goats cheese and raw scallops as starters, then each had the crab pasta. The pasta was a much larger serve than expected - one could have easily been shared between two. We found this surprising considering the relatively cheap price (we’ve had very average pasta dishes on Hardware Lane for only $5 - $6 less).
We were too full to consider dessert, but would happily have had another round of drinks. However, we sat on glasses of water for around an hour waiting for attention from our waitress. My dining date pointed out this would never happen at her favourite lingerie restaurant (oddly, she frequents that establishment quite often!).
The food was worth going back for, hopefully the service will be better.
MJ, We were there Friday and got a seat straight away. For three the tables are small by the time we have two glasses each (water and wine). Service wasn’t too bad and the food was good. We didn’t get to pasta as we’d had nibbles at the Clarendon first and we had pudding in the basement bar at Bistro Guillaume - the best lemon tart ever.
GAS it was not! Waiters in lab coats who were big on attitude but not on service. Made me feel like I was doing them the favour by gracing this place. GAS is confused about what it is but has no qualms about charging restaurant prices, including a 10% surchage on Public Holidays (and also, I forgot as GAS apparently also did when printing their menu, on Sundays). Ridiculous and greedy!
Dark decor with no natural light during the day. When sitting at the bar, I could not read the menu. The restaurant (I think that’s what it is!)has the feel of being stuck in a basement.
Unisex toilets, also terribly badly lit, are not a good idea.
The menu is too detailed with much too much fine print. Lost my appetite trying to decipher the menu and then wondering how many pieces of salami(or Salumi as its apparently named according to the menu!)I would get for $12.
Coffee at $4.40 a cup did not make it taste any better.
Altogether an experience that I do not intend to repeat. I understand why Terzini and Marchetti put their fathers’ first names to the place. Saves tarnishing the family names.