Now Open: Mr Tompkins Is Flinders Street's New Underground Restaurant With an Ex-Coda Chef at the Helm

Descend down the grand staircase found in the lobby of Flinders Street's Rendezvous Hotel, and you'll find recently opened Mr Tompkins. Positioned one level below bustling Flinders Street, Mr Tompkins' is a nod to the building's original architect, Harry Tompkins, who designed the space back in 1913.

Ex-Coda chef Eric Kwek has taken the reins at Mr Tompkins, delivering a modern Euro-accented menu which champions native ingredients in a moody 60-seat space. Start with a heirloom tomato salad paired with native basil, sourced from Yarra Valley's Wandin Yallock farm. Shark Bay half-scallops are dressed with locally-sourced wakame and tossed in butter sauce.

Image: Chef Erik Kwek

"At Mr Tompkins, we've introduced Australian native ingredients and techniques to classic European dishes, thus creating an instant connection between the food and the space it calls home," Kwek says. "This menu also allows me to blend my passions — my classically-trained French cookery and love for foraging bush foods and using great local suppliers."

Larger plates run to the likes of grilled Victorian pork cheeks basted in a quandong glaze, or an excellent stinging nettle risotto accented with whipped goats curd and spiced almonds. The chef's smokey murray cod is a highlight, served on burning paperbark and paired with native sorrel and crab apples.

The hyper-local focus continues through Mr Tompkins' wine selection, featuring drops from Victorian favourites including Mornington Peninsula's Montalto Estate and Yarra Valley's Oakridge Estate. Meanwhile, the bar is mixing up a small selection of curated cocktails, including a Bloody Gin Sour with Four Pillars' Bloody Shriaz Gin, lemon and sugar syrup.

"Given the references of European and Australian design throughout the building — especially in the Grand Vestibule where you'll find complex gum leaf designs within the plasterwork — our menu, and the overall ambiance, has been carefully curated to complement the space," Kwek says.

Mr Tompkins is open at 318 Flinders Street Melbourne. It's open from 6–10pm Wednesday–Saturday.