WAYGOOD — Restaurant in Melbourne

Excellent menu and great flavours.

This was a last minute booking and we arrived with no knowledge of the place at all. To enter you turn down the side lane off Swan St and on the side wall you see an arched doorway painted with vines. That is a very welcoming entrance into a tiled bar with bent wood chairs and dark timberwork. A bulge of a bar, and lots of small tables scattered across the floor. We sat in the open front verandah with drop down see through blinds (and heating if needed) on the edge of the Swan St footpath. We were immediately charmed by the decor and ambience. Very european, with efficient service and a brisk welcome. Sparkling water and a glass of wine (from a very decent wine menu) each to start, and then we ordered a whole lot of dishes to share: 4 entreés, 1 main and 1 side. The 4 entreés were each excellent. From cured ocean trout with shaved fennel and dill, and a baratta salad with pickled vegetables, through to cuttlefish tagliatelle and a huge dish of Raclette with ham, potatoes, pickles, and toasted sourdough. Seriously good flavours, and attractive and inviting presentations. Well we pretty much gobbled our way through these four dishes, and then had to have a substantial break before tackling our main course. We probably should have gone for a power walk too, as we had well and truly over-ordered. We really didn't need the deliciously medium rare scotch fillet with a glowing basil drizzle, or the side of steamed french beans. But the flavours! And the aromas! Smoke and char and delectable melt in the mouth steak. The gorgeous earthy grilled field mushrooms. Yumm! We had no choice .....They made us further gluttonise those final plates.

Lots more sparkling water finally meant that we could actually stand and leave, rather than just roll around contently in our seats.

We were drunk on the food .. Such great combinations and constructions of ingredients and clear clean tastes. None of the food was fussy or too elaborate. Every ingredient stood clearly by itself and worked excellently with the other ingredients on the plate. The key flavour in each dish was unmistakable and deliciously supported.

We really should not have ordered those last two dishes, simply because we did not need them, but we just wanted to taste them, hence the overeating. Our gluttonous fault entirely.

Total bill came to $178 not including the tip. The service was understated, quick, and casually friendly. Not at all intrusive, but alert and observant.

I'm pretty sure this is one of those restaurants that has a coterie of devoted customers that return regularly, and I'm also pretty sure I'm going to be one of them. Such a...

INTERESTING CUISINE THAT IS EASILY SHAREABLE Saint Urban is a cozy French-themed restaurant along Swan Street in busy Richmond. This was my first visit. I went with a friend on a Thursday night. We were there at 5:30 and I was surprised to see that there were already people dining there. I wanted to try the “feed me” option of 4 chef-selected dishes but my fussy friend insisted that we go a la carte.. next time I’ll do the “feed me”! We chose: Cured ocean trout, burrata, cuttlefish tagliatelle, raclette jamon, scotch fillet and beans. All the dishes were well presented and delicious. The stand out was the burrata – scraped off the wheel at our table as large creamy dollops! Each dish was very fresh and of a generous size. We accompanied the food with sparkling water and a glass of wine each. The bill came to $178. We sat at the very front of the restaurant which is a kind of “indoor – outdoor” affair in that there is a roll down plastic awning. In the summer I imagine the awning is rolled up and the area becomes truly al fresco. There are also outdoor tables but I’m not sure I’d like to be sitting on busy Swan Street having dinner with people rushing by! The wait staff were pleasant and timed the delivery of each dish quite well. As we were in the front part of the restaurant there was very little noise and we had adequate space to spread out around our table. We had slightly over-ordered so the lucky golden retriever at the next table got to sample our scotch fillet as well 😊 People with mobility issues should be fine here (note that the entry door is in the side lane not on Swan Street itself. Overall – a very pleasant experience, reasonable pricing and comfortable setting. We...

Happened to walk past this place today, on a sunny lockdown Saturday afternoon. We bought the English fish and chips and the picnic box, with beer and a cocktail to go, and took them to eat in nearby Barkly Gardens. The service was super friendly and fast. The girl who sold us our food also offered us the loan of a proper non-disposable knife with which to cut the cheese and a picnic blanket (since it was a spontaneous plan on our part) and just asked us to bring them back later.

The food is SPECTACULAR. The English fish and chips came with superb hand-cut chips with the skin on, and a pickle. The picnic box was packed full of delicious treats, including a prawn roll full of juicy prawns and a brownie with whipped cream and caramel for topping. It was $35 pp for the box but in my view, the single-person serve is more than one person could eat. You could split it between two people who were not starving and both would be satisfied.

All in all, very impressed with this place - they gave us an unexpectedly delightful picnic meal in the park, complete with loaner picnic blanket....