BLADE RUNNER
Pan-Euro fare is served with LOCAL SENSIBILITY at the latest addition to Melbourne’s iconic GERTRUDE STREET STRIP, writes Clare Acheson.
THE EVENING THAT I ARRIVE at Messer, Melbourne’s latest Euro-inspired eatery from the team behind Copper Pot Seddon, it’s an effort to open the restaurant’s door against a howling gale. Shedding a woollen coat that’s warmly received by a waiter who immediately leaves me feeling revived, I’m reminded of why venturing out into the elements is worth the gamble. Even in the age of Uber Eats, I’m game to bet a brisk winter’s amble on a bite to eat. The latest addition to Fitzroy’s ever-changing thoroughfare of bars, eateries and boutiques, Messer takes its name from the German word for ‘knife’. Having bolstered Melbourne’s pan-European scene with his first establishment, here, head chef Ashley Davis gives a nod to nose-to-tail dining and traditional techniques. But where starched tablecloths and impenetrable wine lists would usually accompany dishes like caramel-dipped sweetbreads and rotisserie pork hock, things are reimagined with a measured dash of Melbourne ‘cool’. Think sophisticated interior touches and limited-release wines that will have you reaching for a second glass. Aside from the obvious culinary associations, I can’t help but feel that Messer’s namesake is symbolic of the venue’s execution in general, with the typical contemporary restaurant fat trimmed off in favour of a leaner, more considered approach. Inlaid brass wall detailing and softly uplit shelving give the neutral space a kindliness that prevents it from veering into stark Brutalist territory. Even the venue’s eye-catching signage, a single graphic outline of a blade that floats on its charcoal storefront, strips detail back to a needto-know basis. Dining with a friend who is visiting from Launceston, we settle on a few sharing bites to accompany a long overdue catch-up: Aylesbury duck hearts, drizzled with brown beer syrup, and pan-crisped pork jowl with crème fraîche, dusted with fennel pollen. Usually keen to support the local liquid talent, we’ve both uncharacteristically eyed a $20 glass of something from further afield, treating ourselves to the Keller Riesling. When our first dishes arrive, the presentation is sparse with a focus on rich flavours and structured proteins that are succulent without being overdressed. The main event is a smorgasbord of wild venison tartare, layered salted beetroot and chestnut steeped in Pedro Ximenez, and the cold-weather highlight: smoked eel risotto that replaces Italian rice with spent brewers’ grain, complemented by the heat of horseradish cream. By the time the savoury courses are cleared away, I’ve been talked into dessert and a glass of a Beechworth blend by the sommelier. The Jerusalem artichoke sorbet arrives dotted with shards of butter toffee brittle and cannoli biscuit, and the Sentio Rouge is poured with a jovial anecdote about the winemaker’s recent bottling injury that gives the whole experience a spirited, ‘locals only’ touch. The evening concludes with the leaving gift of a single-serve glazed bundt cake, wrapped neatly so as to protect it from what’s now a burgeoning storm. Welcome to the ’hood, Messer, a Melbourne restaurant that can lure me out in a squall.