Overview
It seems that new multi-level venues might be the trend this year in Melbourne. The CBD scored HER a couple of weeks ago and now it's Richmond's turn, as Swan Street newcomer Untitled officially opens its doors.
A labour of love more than three years in the making, the venue is the work of David Abela, Andrew Ryan and Daniel Vid; the same minds behind neighbouring cocktail haunt The Ugly Duckling.
Anson Smart
The team has transformed a three-storey former art store into a 100-seat modern Euro bar and eatery, complete with creatively-charged yet timeless interiors by Flack Studio. It's a warm, eclectic space, featuring lots of rich textures, marble accents and an impressive art collection.
In the kitchen, 2015 Young Chef of the Year Tim Martin (The European, Harvest) is delivering a contemporary menu spiked with lots of European influence. The snack game is particularly strong, with a slew of bites primed for matching to that after-work vino. Think, prosciutto paired with a melon escabeche, pea and ricotta arancini, smoked pork terrine, and oysters done with a celery heart mignonette.
Deeper in, you can feast on duck ragu gnocchi finished with saltbush; a seafood spaghetti starring littleneck clams, prawns and calamari; and a pithivier (a style of pie) of gruyere, potato and chard, matched with a mustard aioli.
Anson Smart
A grass-fed O'Connor scotch fillet features whipped bone marrow, a Murray cod fillet is elevated with roasted cucumber and harissa, and you'll spy a Russian honey cake leading the dessert offering.
The matching wine selection pays homage to Euro drops and varietals, with a healthy spread on offer by the glass. Perch up at the horseshoe bar to sip the Rob Dolan pinot blanc, or head to France with a glass of the Domaine des Espérances gamay out of Touraine.
Cocktails stick to the classics with the likes of a negroni and a dry gin martini, while the aperitif-sipping crowd will be all about the grapefruit-infused Kina Highball and the Spritz With No Name — a refreshing blend of Campari, Pampelle Grapefruit, sparkling wine, orange and olive.
Find Untitled at 236 Swan Street, Richmond. It's open from 5pm until late Tuesday–Thursday, and from 12pm until late Friday and Saturday.