Sth Central

STH CENTRAL’S RIBWICH is the lunch you start fantasising about at 10.17am and would kill for by noon. A ciabatta roll is drizzled with olive oil, dabbed with horseradish aioli and piled with more glistening, succulent shredded beef rib meat than you would dare hope for. Cos lettuce lightens the glorious load, and the package also brings shoestring fries and a pickle. Now that we’ve got that out of our system, a little more about the establishment. Sth Central is the first restaurant from the Tommy Collins team (of Hawk and Hunter, the Little Ox and Schmucks Bagels café renown). Set beneath an apartment block development and just opposite South Yarra Station, it’s a good-looking, sophisticated space. We visited for lunch, although breakfast and dinner are also served (we definitely want to come back for the breakfast gnocchi). The short, modern Australian menu is divided into smaller share plates, perhaps lamb ribs or smoked mussels (around $16); sandwiches and salads; and more substantial main plates, say, pork belly or a barramundi dish, that head more towards $40. A deft calamari salad is both elegant and satisfying. Lying on a bed of rocket, snow peas and peas, the roasted squid rings pack good charry flavour – courtesy of the Inka charcoal oven – and nice bite and bounce. Subtle chimichurri dressing adds brightness, while pine nuts and house-made croutons deliver crunch. Fried cauliflower makes a fine side. While not the fat battered beauties we imagined, the bronzed florets are dressed with a nutty green tahini sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Prana chai tea, brewed in a mini saucepan, is sweet and creamy, and the house blend of coffee is smooth and medium-bodied. Service here is personable without any sacrifice in efficiency on the quietish Friday we visited. Given the quality of the food, Sth Central might be a secret more people need to know about.