The great celebration that was the 2011 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival has finished once again, and one of the most treasured things we can take from it is a whole new appreciation of discovering some of Melbourne’s most tasteful restaurants.
One such, located in the heart Fitzroy on the infamous Brunswick Street, is St.Jude’s Cellars – standing out from its loud neighbours with a whole lot of class and an eye-catching interior.
As a passerby, urging me to enter was a crawling green vine in the centre of the St.Jude’s that I spotted from out on the street. Stretching up to the roof of the restaurant and wine bar, it is visible from the door and adjacent to a trendy, long white tiled bar.
Once inside the spacious, airy room is decked in black and white with a rustic attitude. There is a fantastic wine shop supported by large cages which display a collection of some of Australia’s most hard-to-find wines, as well as rare wines from around the world, lined up face forward, numbered and marked with a price on large yellow tickets – making selection a whole lot easier and adding to the interesting décor of the room.
The lure of the place is one of its strong points, as so should be with every restaurant – it’s not just about the food, drink, or even the service, it’s the whole experience that counts. Before you even begin to taste the food and wine you will find yourself captured by the stylish and intriguing surroundings.
Having explored Brunswick Street up-teen times, and enjoying its unique nature (as well as the shopping) somehow St.Jude’s slipped from my vision. For this reason, the Food & Wine Festival is great for bringing some of these fantastic restaurants to light, and not only to show-off to visitors who have come to Melbourne – it also urges Melbourne locals to start thinking like tourists, and enjoying what their city has to offer.
As part of the festival, St.Jude’s took part in the restaurant express lunch book. Throughout the festival, between the 4th to the 14th of March, they offered a $35 express lunch that included your choice of two courses and a glass of Airlie Bank Sauvignon Blanc or Cabernet Merlot and coffee.
There were four choices of entrée, four of main and also four desserts from which you could choose two meals. The baby calamari, sautéed with parsley and wine with heirloom tomato and rice salad was a very popular choice, as were the fresh strawberries with custard, French meringue, and lemon curd.
The chefs at St.Jude’s strongly believe in sustainable farming and fishing and try to use organic, bio-dynamic and free-range produce where possible, providing delicate, pristine home style cooking, served on plates and with cutlery that look like those you keep in a glass cabinet at home (so you are always prepared if the Queen ever pops in).
If you haven’t yet paid St.Jude’s a visit, add it to your list of places to see in Melbourne. Ensure you taste the lamb ragout with pappardelle and chicory, or the quick braised monkfish with dill dumplings and aromatic vegetables and saffron sauce. Alternatively, visit with a group and enjoy one of their banquets. St.Jude’s also welcomes you to explore their cellar for a more extensive collection of wine they have to offer.
If you missed out this year, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is celebrating its 20th year in 2012, and will be bigger and better, bringing to life Victoria’s love of food and wine yet again. Embark on an adventure to taste something different and broaden your scope of the wonderful culture and liveliness Melbourne has to offer.
