Overview
Fred's in Paddington is a venue that offers us three unique experiences wrapped up into one wholesome night of farm-to-table fun amid a genuinely lovely setting.
Entering on street level you're greeted by an industrial-meets-vintage cocktail bar with marble aplenty. The dining room is slick and cosy. The setting emulates the warmth at the heart of a charming country homestead — oversized kitchen islands and freestanding Tuscan grills do away with a traditional restaurant set-up where a custom-made hearth emits a soft glow while the kitchen calmly moves between pans and plates.
Originally conceived by superstar Head Chef Danielle Alvarez (who honed her skills at Napa Valley's famed The French Laundry) the focus for the menu has always been about sustainable produce from the people who farm it served by an enthusiastic team passionate about elevating your dining experience.
Alvarez may have moved on, but the sentiment toward food and service remains in tact at Fred's.
Examining the lunch and dinner menu the best approach is getting on board with your co-diners and filling the table with a spread of food, feasting rather than neatly settling for three courses each.
You'll find simple starters such as fougasse with butter and olive oil and refreshing smaller plates like beef tartare with black pepper, anchovies and buckwheat crackers, or the rather special cucumber with poached lobster and crème fraiche. Then there's hearty wood oven dishes and bigger protein-forward items off the grill including a woodfired bass grouper, the Milly Hill lamb or the rib eye steak executed at a very high level.
Tipples-wise, the full wine list should satisfy any palate with its 26 pages of options; there's also a strong beer and cider selection and enough spirits to drown a European oligarch.
When it comes to cocktails, the signature offering is stellar, but we recommend saving your cocktail drinking for the jazz-inspired hidey hole Charlie Parker's in the basement under Fred's. You should definitely make a stop down here, but it's up top where you'll really enjoy the show.
Images: Byron Martin for PADDO(Collective)
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