Something’s happening in the backstreets of Fitzroy. Venues the calibre of Napier Quarter, Carnation Canteen, Palay and Little Rose have been appearing behind the suburb’s main streets for a few years now, joining the old-school pubs that have been a Fitzroy calling card for decades. A recent addition to the throng, Fitzroy Oyster House from co-owners Tim Richmond (Longplay) and Sunny Leunig shows why this is one trend we can all get behind.
Occupying a double-fronted space that’s been both milk bar and café, the restaurant is minimalist but warm and comfortable with flattering lighting, clothed tables and knowledgeable, personable service. It also makes a virtue of simplicity, starting with a name that doubles as a mission statement.
At the centre of the room is a zinc-topped, horseshoe-shaped bar, its built-in trough filled with rock salt displaying the shucked-to-order oysters. Four or five varieties are available every day until sold out, a blackboard listing the daily roster of peak condition bivalves and the part of Australia they’ve hailed from. Whatever you choose, they come served with just a cheek of lemon, though a classic mignonette and Tabasco sauce are available on request.
There’s good stuff beyond oysters, too. Asparagus spears, simply steamed, are served with soft-boiled eggs and anchovies. Broccoli, teamed with a soy-spiked white miso sauce and a macadamia crumb, is a symphony of well-judged flavour and satisfying texture, while a classic ceviche (based on a Gourmet Traveller recipe according to the owner), made with spotted trevally and fresh lime juice and served with coriander avocado and fresh jalapeño, is a masterclass of balance and finesse.
If the scallop risotto is listed on the specials board (it often is), order it. Cooked with a bouillabaisse-style stock, the arborio rice is topped with raw scallops, lightly cured in a lemon and garlic dressing. It’s an absolute cracker of a dish, the creamy richness beautifully modulated by the lemony scallops.
The drinks list continues the chic and simple theme: a clever, interesting single page of seafood-friendly wines from near and far, almost all of them available by the glass. There’s a short list of cocktails too, including three versions of that most oyster-friendly of cocktails, the Martini, served perfectly chilled.
There’s something innately romantic about a little diner in a quiet, leafy backstreet. Add a smart and seasoned operator with respect for quality ingredients and the wines that love them, and it’s hard not to get a little swoony about this latest addition to an excellent Fitzroy trend.
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