I’ve seen the future of food and it’s in Collingwood (and beyond)

Reflections on Cutler & Co

Arguably the Collingwood Fitzroy borders have everything. Almost every cuisine is represented and there are plenty of places for a friendly glass of wine, an outsized Hefeweizen or even a friendly neighbourhood Fog Cutter. Let’s not forget if you want to score drugs either.

But what Collingwood also offers an insight to the future of dining. Sure regular cafes, restaurants – including the high end -and bars will be around for somewhile yet but there are signs of what may come.

And actually I’m going to also extend this story to other parts of the city too.

1.0 High end casual dining

Andrew McConnell and his partner in business and life Pascal Gomes McNabb have in Cutler and Co created a casual restaurant with high end food. I was lucky enough to be invited with friends and supporters to the inaugural Sunday lunch at which Pascal told me that the idea is that you can wear anything to this tablecloth free zone: “You can even come in a bikini,” she said. (I brought a gorgeous beast with surgically enhanced vampire teeth).

The food at lunch is shared as opposed to individual courses at lunchtime. But the vibe is the same.

And if, after adoration in The Age and the Age Good Food Guide, you can’t secure a booking, there you can always prop up the bar or one of the surrounding tables and enjoy a Negroni and a few of Andrew’s nibbles.

Of course, I should also mention his casual no-bookings second string restaurant Cumulus Inc as a trend leader in it’s breakfast to dinner wine bar style. And also the fact that McConnell and partners have acquired the space next door. What it will be is still up for debate but my vote goes for something with specialty coffee, perhaps a variation on Cumulus Inc. But god forbid it won’t be iCumulus2.0.

Dessert at Truffe – sadly on hold now

2.0 High end food at bargain prices

With the arrival of Pierre Roelofs, the former pastry chef at Interlude (that’s the guy who makes pudding as well as pastry) this was a real treat in store at Monsieur Truffe on Thursday to Sunday evenings. He produced exquisite and also very rich wonderful, surprising desserts for about $16 a course and up to $35ish for three.

Unfortunately, because of liquor license delays and the fact that Roelofs is flying to Barcelona for an international competition, these evenings are temporarily suspended. Bummer.

Whatever you order, a pre dessert is served, usually in style. On my last visit it came in a large wooden bowl. To make this work Monsieur Truffe needs to get its liquor license. Let’s hope it comes soon.

It’s the same thing Neil Perry has done offering his $18 Wagyu burger at the bar at Rockpool Bar and Grill at Crown Casino – access to his food at almost everyday prices.

Beef tartare with smoking cinnamon at The Deanery

Robin Wickens, the former chef and owner of Interlude, is also playing this game at his new patch, The Deanery (a former car park with a wonderful wine collection).

Sure you can eat his high end food in the restaurant. But now you can nibble on his Tomato Explosion for $4.5, Beef tartare with smoking cinnamon for $12 and, incredibly, his take on Bacon and eggs for $12.

Coffee dinners at St Ali with Paul Wilson on the stove.

3.0 Cafes that behave as restaurants

How good is this: Former Botanical head chef Paul Wilson cooking at one-off dinners matching coffee (and wine) with his superb food at St Ali in South Melbourne. The warehouse itself is a very cool space. It’s brilliant.

And it is showing how cafes now are competing with restaurants but without all the overheads of having to do six nights of service a week.

Around the corner in South Melbourne, a former crew from St Ali have established Dead Man Espresso serving coffee made with Seven Seeds beans. It has a cool zinc bar and fitout and is serving a higher level of food than the standard cafe, a pretty delicious French onion Soup being a case in point.

It’s a bit like Birdman Eating on Gertrude Street, a cafe with better than your average food and some decent wine to boot but at the price of a starter in a good restaurant. It’s blurring the line between cafe and restaurant.

Around the corner towards the other end of Smith Street Provenance is doing the same. Food and drink throughout the day with some decent well-priced wine, good beer on tap and cocktails. It also does occasional special nights, recently hosting mushroom dinners and soon turning it’s attention to goat for one night only.

Maedaya Grill & Sake bar Richmond

4.0 Tapas style – whatever the cuisine

This week Simon Denton’s (Verge. Yikes!) Japanese style pub food place Izakaya Den on the corner of Little Collins and Russell St is meant to open. It takes Japanese food out from being nice and twee to the drinking masses in small sized portions just as Maedaya Grill & Sake bar in Richmond and Ichi Ni in St Kilda has done before it.

As with the ground trod by Movida (expect Movida MkIII open by December), Bar Lourhina and Anada Tapas, expect lots of inferior copies as cynical restaurateurs try and cash-in on the trend.

Seven Seeds. Try the Clover coffee

5.0 Specialty coffee roasters

St Ali is going gangbusters and has opend Outpost in South Yarra. Seven Seeds run by former St Ali owner Mark Dundon on Berkeley St, Carlton is awesome.

I’ve drunk some of the finest espresso’s ever in it’s hand made china at Padre up from Hellenic Republic on Lygon St, Brunswick East. Check out the Auction Rooms in North Melbourne. Or Dukes on Chapel St.

What they are all doing is roasting good ethical beans, mostly fairer than Fair Trade coffee.

Why do we love it? To become a coffee wanker takes only a $3 to $4 investment rather than thousands of dollars it takes to be a true wine wanker.

The new coffee is more than espresso and lattes though. Try the clean and tea-like brews from the Clover at Seven Seeds, the Syphon Filters at St Ali, cold drip at Outpost/St Ali or regular filter at Dead men Espresso for an introduction.

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Tagged as: Collingfood, food, future, Restaurants