The Potter Museum of Art’s new diner was built to have a new chef-in-residence every year. The first cab off the rank is an ex-Vue de Monde chef who’s made a very confident debut called Cherrywood.
Pop-ups. Collabs. Takeovers. Some of Melbourne’s most exciting eating can happen at one-off events, where young chefs get a platform they might not normally have.
New Parkville restaurant Residence, which opened earlier this month, is built on that premise. It’s essentially an incubator, where every year a new rising-star chef will get the opportunity to execute their own dining concept before passing the baton on.
The 60-seater is in the Potter Museum of Art – recently reopened at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus after a multimillion-dollar makeover – making Residence the city’s most thrilling new gallery restaurant. Here’s what you need to know about it.
Who’s behind it?
Two guys who know the area well: Nathen Doyle, co-owner of Carlton hangouts Heartattack and Vine and Sunhands, and Cameron Earl, Carlton Wine Room’s former front-of-house manager.
Who’s the first chef in residence?
Robbie Noble, a British-born chef with a stellar CV. He started out at the Michelin-starred Northcote in England, levelled up at Melbourne’s three-hatted fine diner Vue de Monde, and spent a few years as head chef at Clamato, one of the coolest wine bars in Paris.
Executive chef Jasper Avent, formerly of Embla and The Town Mouse, oversees the kitchen.
What’s the concept?
Called Cherrywood, Noble’s venue is all about “refined country cooking” that’s nostalgic for his upbringing in West Yorkshire but unafraid of fancy flourishes.
What should my first drink be?
No offence to the feijoa martini or the tamarillo negroni, but you’re going to want to start with a cup of tea. Well, sort of. Listed on the menu as “Mum’s roast chicken”, it is in fact a broth that’s golden-hued and deeply flavoursome, poured tableside from a retro teapot. Despite a few cheffy additions, including tarragon oil and black garlic, the flavour still channels the original dish.
Cementing the dish’s signature status, the restaurant’s centrepiece artwork playfully depicts a teapot … with chicken legs.
What should I eat?
Love oysters? Love Welsh rarebit? Get the best of both worlds in one bite: Sydney rock oysters served baked, cheesy and Worcestershire-sauced. (If you prefer, you can have yours natural with verjuice granita). Continuing the sea theme, sardine fillets are soused in mezcal, with wafer-thin slices of cucumber layered between. More rustic is the smoked bone marrow with oxtail marmalade – add on pudgy sourdough rolls so you can swipe through all the sauciness.
And for dessert?
Tarts two ways. For a more traditional sweet finish, there’s the leatherwood honey tartlet with folds of preserved persimmon. Or you can stay on the savoury train with one of the best-on-ground dishes: a wedge of beautifully burnished leek tarte tatin with a (similarly sized) wedge of 18-month-aged comte cheese.
What if I’m after a more casual experience?
From 8am on weekdays and 11am on Saturdays, Residence also operates as a cafe, with Assembly coffee and tea, Iris pastries, a few sangers and salads, and a small retail area.
Anything else I need to know?
Go for lunch or an early dinner so you can visit the art gallery before or after. Its new exhibition celebrates the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
Cafe open breakfast and lunch Mon-Sat; restaurant open lunch Mon-Sat, dinner Wed-Sat.
Potter Museum of Art, 815 Swanston Street, Parkville, residenceatthepotter.com.au
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