The Best New Melbourne Restaurants of 2021

From the team behind South American eateries San Telmo, Pastuso, Palermo and Asado, comes this playful, neon-heavy restaurant taking its cues from the streets of Tokyo. Robata embraces the art of charcoal grilling, celebrating Japanese techniques and traditions with its custom-built robatayaki grill.

An izakaya-style menu is headlined by yakitori and kushiyaki skewers cooked over charcoal; from chicken meatballs with cured yolk and tare sauce, to Skull Island prawns. You’ll find various sashimi and small bites, too, alongside larger Japanese-accented plates. Meanwhile, the bar’s pouring a strong spread of sake, Japanese whisky and craft brews, backed by clever cocktails like the shochu-infused espresso martini.

This three-level venue from acclaimed chef Alejandro Saravia (Pastuso) is dedicated to celebrating and showcasing Gippsland’s finest produce. On the first floor, a gourmet deli, food store and eatery turns out share-friendly fare like O’Connor beef carpaccio, and the crumbed Lakes Entrance fish matched with spring onion hollandaise. There’s a strong curation of pantry items and retail food products, too.

Upstairs, the restaurant plates up a more formal celebration of provenance, complete with an open kitchen fuelled by charcoal and wood. It’s a sophisticated space of gentle greens and greys, with a seasonal set menu and a Gippsland-focused drinks list. And as the crowning glory, the secluded rooftop cocktail bar delivers innovative, produce-driven sips against a backdrop of native mountain pepper trees.

Image: Brook James

The latest venture from the minds behind Sunda — including celebrated chef Khanh Nguyen — Aru is an elegant, 120-seat restaurant that draws culinary inspiration from those early days of trade between Indonesian seafarers and northern Australia. Named after the cluster of islands on the pre-colonial maritime route that connected this corner of the world, it’s championing the flavours of Southeast Asia, Japan, China and native Australia.

Nguyen’s kitchen looks to eras past to inform the techniques guiding the innovative, creatively-charged menu — from curing and fermentation; to smoking and cooking over flames. There’s a wood-fired hearth, and an onsite dry-ageing room turning out the likes of cured pork and Viet-style duck sausage — the latter used in the cult-favourite duck snag sanga with leatherwood honey and peanuts.

Image: Kristoffer Paulsen

Shannon Martinez (Smith & Daughters, Smith & Deli) and Ian Curley’s (The European, Kirk’s Wine Bar) all-day plant-based bar and eatery made its home within the new Ovolo South Yarra hotel, with an entirely vegan and vegetarian menu designed to shake up preconceptions. Vibrant and unapologetic, with plenty of Latin influences, it’s a share-friendly lineup that fuses fine dining flair with a touch of attitude. Every dish is vegan, with some offering the option to add cheese.

It’s a casual affair by day, embracing more of a wine bar feel after dark. Like the food, the drinks offering heroes the local and the seasonal — expect a solid spread of Spanish, Argentinian and Aussie wines by the glass, alongside bold plant-based cocktails and some satisfyingly crafty booze-free concoctions.

Richmond’s Indo-inspired sandwich joint is the work of Indonesian-born mates Barry Susanto (Navi) and Erwin Chandra. Its creation was fuelled by a touch of homesickness and a desire to offer locals a broader, more authentic taste of the duo’s homeland.

The 15-seat venue embraces the ‘casual, but done well’ mentality, with a short-but-sweet menu of $15 sandos. They’re simple yet well-executed, with plenty of subtle nods to Susanto’s fine dining experience.

Expect options like the beef pastrami with cheese, pickled cucumber and rendang sauce on light rye; and a chicken sandwich marinated in classic Taliwang spices. The coffee offering is also impressive, with both espresso and filter options available. Sweet pastries and a house-made riff on kaya toast round out the fun.

A multifaceted homage to the art of pasta-making, featuring a boutique pasta shop — plus delivery service — and adjoining courtyard eatery. Here, Italian-trained chefs whip up a signature range of fresh handmade pasta and traditional sauces, ready for you to take home or enjoy on premises.

The ever-changing menu boasts expertly crafted varieties like egg tagliatelle, spinach tortello, and cappelletti filled with 18-hour braised ox cheek. Gluten-free and vegan options abound, while sauce options run to the likes of a creamy parmesan zabaglione and the classic Bologna-style ragu.

Mix and match from the heaving front counter, or settle in for cooked pasta dishes and cocktails in the courtyard (Wednesday to Friday through summer).

Image: Simon Shiff