Loving St Judes Cellar

Brunswick St, Fitzroy is a fair hike from my neck of the woods - St Kilda.

So getting up across the river on a cold Melbourne night, in the rain, was a big call but I was pretty keen to try out the month old St Judes Cellars. We were a little scared through, phoning four times that day - Sunday - the phone rang out and once it was answered by someone that told me they would call back, yet didn't. Obviously we really wanted to go, so a mental backup list was made, in case we not be able to secure a perch at the bar.
We should not have been that worried. St Judes was busy, but never full in the few hours we were there.

A rocky and intimidating start, but the wash-up? I loved it and wish I had a St Judes, closer to home.

I don't think you really have experienced St Judes unless you sit at the bar, perched on a wire framed stool, staring into the busy kitchen and chatting with the waiters. You need to be part of the action, it's kind of like going to MoVida and sitting at the bar, if you don't, you miss out.

The food is very approachable at St Judes. It's all about sharing, which I find a particularly perfect way to eat especially with a loved one - arh PDC... ;) Perhaps though, a little trickier with someone that you don't want to share a spoon with, as then you will both miss out on the intense broths that a few of the dishes are served in. Definitely very spoonable, straight from pot to mouth.

Chef Danielle Rensonnet, has done her time at some of the fancier local restaurants but can also mix her refined style with a casual flair, offset by eclectic pots, thick wooden boards and funky vinyl cut-out place mats and coasters.

A larger dish of 'Kurabuta'(sic) pork is cooked to near melting stage were the meat is so tender that it could be eaten with a spoon as you slurp the broth and celery/parsley sauce from the pot.

A dish that has not won many hearts in the review stakes so far, the braised squid, chickpea and cavolo nero number, I found to be utterly more-ish. With an intense (chicken?) based stock the squid was confetti-ed into tiny strips and just cooked in the broth with a scattering of chickpeas and the herbal cabbage, very Autumnal.

The dishes all felt quite good value for money apart from the eel dish which featured a smear of eel pate, a square of smoked eel and some crack-your-teeth-good croutons.

PDC selected our wine from the wine wall at the front private dining space, a concept that I am yet to fully embrace - great for the selector, but not so good for the dinee, that gets left staring at the kitchen alone (not so bad in my case, but I'm sure you get what I mean).

St Judes is a great, flexible dining space with personable, funky and knowledgeable staff. The room was a little bright for my liking (but perfect for camera welding food bloggers) and outfitted in a manner that reassures me that you don't need a multimillion dollar budget to create a desirable space, just a bit of hospitality smarts and the guts to pull it off.