Renowned chef Rosheen Kaul has opened her latest venture, Little Rose, on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. However, the French-Asian bistro is here for a good time, not a long time. While the pop-up was meant to wrap things up at the beginning of July, its run has proven so successful that the team have agreed to stick around for a few weeks longer. Little Rose has taken up the cosy, familiar space that belonged to Alta Trattoria and, more recently, to Pipi's North and Ragazzi Residenza pop-ups. "After several years of Alta, it's been great to transition the venue and see how it can be transformed time after time," say operators James Tait and Luke Drum. Kaul takes the lead in the kitchen, offering a playful menu grounded in the philosophy of Chinoiserie, "A whimsical, vibrant, European interpretation of Asian culture." French bistro classics are reimagined with Asian influences. Kaul says, "We pull from a breadth of flavour and ingredients, always presented in a way that's easy to understand and enjoy." Designed for long, leisurely meals, start with a Vietnamese-style baguette with whipped pate butter and pickled shallots, oysters with pink peppercorn mignonette, and other cold entrees such as clams prepared Chaozhou-style. Snack on panisse with sizzling spring onion oil and squid with garlic chives and lamb merguez sausage in white wine. Mains range from vol-au-vents served alongside sautéed oysters and oyster mushrooms in peppercorn sauce, to pan-seared salmon with brown butter and capers in parsley sauce. There's also an Andouillette-inspired pork sausage bathed in a creamy mustard sauce. Finish with warm madeleines or sweet rice water jelly with nashi pear and waxflower, or cheese if you're still feeling savoury. Acclaimed mixologist Joe Jones is serving up a rotating list of subtly reworked classic drinks, such as a gin and tonic with dandelion gin, green apple, and celery tonic. Jones says, "The martini is a minimal, interpretive drink you can spin in countless ways. It's a drink you can't hide behind — it takes a lifetime to master." His version at Little Rose is made with London Dry Gin, chrysanthemum vermouth, fino sherry and a coconut water dilution. "We love venues like France Soir, where everything you need is right there — perfect cocktails, wine, exciting food — and you don't have to leave until they basically kick you out. That's what we're trying to achieve at Little Rose," says Kaul. And it seems the people can't get enough of Kaul's latest venture, with the team announcing an extension to its pop-up. Little Rose will now stay open until August 2, with bookings now available for the additional weeks of service. However, judging by its popularity so far, we expect tables to be snapped up fast. Images: Arianna Leggiero. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
