CURRY FAVOUR
Indonesian and Thai flavours find a refined place in the sun at Melrose, a new rooftop terrace restaurant from Brisbane’s Venzin Group, writes FIONA DONNELLY.
Our house condiments arrive and there’s a pause. We look up and note the server’s body language as she calculates their placement. I can sense we’re about to get something special.
There’s a bowl of sambal belacan so fresh I’m surprised we haven’t heard the pounding of the chillies needed to make it, or smelled pungent shrimp paste frying. Alongside is a pot of house-made chilli jam – dark like Vegemite and equally bottle-worthy.
Another plate delivers house-made sriracha and a bowl of Thai dipping sauce, nam pla prik, a flotilla of fine green chilli slices and their seeds glistening in a pool of fish sauce.
All up it’s a fiery foursome designed to increase the pulse rate of those who like it hot. And it’s the kick-starter that’s needed to gun everything into action.
There’s much to admire at Melrose. The surroundings are chic – cream walls, Bali-style ceiling fans, rattan chairs, tan banquettes and bleached terracotta tiles. In this era of Covid, a retractable roof is to be applauded not just for the novelty of being able to dine beneath starry or blue skies, but for the abundant airflow it ensures.
Located at the river tip of Bulimba’s Oxford Street, Melrose is the latest from Venzin Group. It owns Darvella, a Swiss-style patisserie housed in the tenancy beneath, among others.
Signage is discreet – a modest plaque directs diners to the second storey. The dining room is accessed via a casual area with a backlit bar, banquettes and bar seating – an airy space to explore Balinese cocktails. Or perhaps dive into well-considered wines by-the-glass while grazing through the snacks that comprise nearly half of head chef Arté Assavakavinvong’s (ex-Longrain, Melbourne) compact menu.
As you’d expect, these bites are light and punchy. Charcoal-cooked sticky pork skewers are elevated with saltbush and sesame seasoning. Their juicy beef equivalent scores a rubble of macadamia and golden fried shallot. A larb showcases crudo yellowfin tuna garnished with citrusy red sorrel. The ultra-fresh fish comes cubed and laced with mint and coriander with a dusting of nutty toasted rice for texture and crisp wonton wrappers for scooping.
Larger plates are heartier – a beef rendang perhaps, or a rich, creamy soft-shell crab curry. This arrives nicely layered, stacked with a generous helping of crustacean, Chinese celery leaf, baby corn and sweet snow peas.
Balinese-style duck, bebak betutu, also ticks flavour boxes. The confit half duck is flash-fried then coated in a sticky sauce of caramelised onion that’s finished with deep-fried shallot. Fioretto blossoms share plate space with the fall-off-the-bone tender waterbird.
Melrose offers refined IndonesianThai cooking in tune with its elevated interiors. And if you want street-style punch, don’t hold back on the sauces.