Cutler & Co, Melbourne: restaurant review

Sometimes, that’s easy. “A certain kind of diner will love this.” Or, “A profound waste of money, eat KFC instead.” Give the reader a handle to grab, for chrissakes.

Sometimes it’s harder, particularly when expectations are high. And if a restaurant’s not new, and the owner is a chef with an exceptional record of achievement, expectations are unavoidable.

You go to lunch at Cutler & Co, flagship in the Andrew McConnell fleet, expecting special. Past experience suggests it, and the prices nurture the expectation.

Pan-roasted John Dory. (Picture: Jesse Marlow Source: News Corp Australia)

But if you’d just landed from the other side of the world for the first time and wandered down Gertrude Street, you’d find a sexy bistro with a drinks area and a bustling kitchen up front, two distinct dining spaces behind. The lighting is all mood.

You’d find a wine list with a great deal more interest than most, although you may find it curious that there’s no rosé by the glass. And, without necessarily realising it, you’d find a menu that is pure McConnell (although it’s deputy John Paul Twomey who runs this show). A clever simplicity; great produce; a defiant lack of bandwagon and interest in modern Spanish and Nordic trends; a forum for approachable yet inspired food.

You’d sit at your naked table and be delivered excellent bread, house-cultured butter and a pot of beetroot relish. And you might begin with appetisers: delicious Serrano ham, a couple of perfect oysters from Batemans Bay served with nothing more than lemon cheek; baby cos lettuce shells filled with devilled crab, garnished with fresh curry leaf. You’d be happy.

You might move on to the kind of China-inspired dish that always makes a McConnell menu interesting, in this case a congee with different fungi, shaved abalone and scallop, all swimming in a golden broth of pimped stock, a wonderful textural ride but also a delicious down-to-earth soup with luxe ingredients. You’d be happier.

And, with an earthy, almost truffley, cooked kale smell to it, you’d find the quail dish made you happy too: pan-seared/roasted breast, crisp-shelled little confit legs, in both cases delicate, silken perfect. It’s served with tangy, loose labne, apple, green wheat and a lemony anchovy/kale cream.

You could moan with ecstasy about the way a pan-roasted John Dory fillet takes on Japanese accents with a gelatinous seaweed “butter”, grilled octopus, cooked gem lettuce, shiitake mushrooms and a feather doona of eggplant puree, all scattered with white sesame, a daikon veil and slivers of spring onion. You’d be impressed.

But if you’d been “specialed” on the grilled beef striploin cooked on the bone, served with caramelised Brussels sprouts, you’d be a little disappointed. Today – and I accept that these things vary – the meat is very dense but not particularly juicy. It has a distinct, livery smell, but the flavours aren’t conveyed by meaty juice. And the edges of the cut are powdery. Dull.

A complimentary pre-dessert of mandarin sorbet and sherbet would be a pleasant surprise. And the McConnell classic of soft confit apple “loaf” with brown butter ice cream and salted caramel would make you one of thousands it has delighted. But I didn’t just walk in to a new experience; I went back to rekindle a relationship.

So, what exactly is the takeaway from this? Cutler walks the tightrope of relaxed vibe yet special attention to detail with balance. Yet there is room to improve. I didn’t sense the level of effort or enthusiasm that I’d hoped for. Is it complacency? And at least one dish was disappointing. Just not the “special” it was sold as.

The message? Go, but lower your expectations, just a little. A fine restaurant still, but capable of more.

Address: 55-57 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

Phone: (03) 9419 4888 Web: cutlerandco.com.au

Hours: Lunch Fri, Sun; dinner Tue-Sun

Typical prices: Entrees $25; mains $45; desserts $18; tasting menu $130

Summary: A fine restaurant, but not without imperfections.

Like this? Try… Bridge Room, Sydney; Esquire, Brisbane

Stars (out of five): 4

Source: The Australian, John Lethlean, July 4^th 2015