Estelle
Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. For one of the best fish dishes you’ll find in Melbourne, head directly to Estelle.
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243-245 High St, Northcote
(03) 9489 4609
Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. For one of the best fish dishes you’ll find in Melbourne, head directly to Estelle.
Scott Pickett has transformed what was his ESP fine diner and bistro next door into the one seamless space. There’s a wine bar-snack vibe on one side, and a more substantial, if still casual, offering in the handsome dining room that keeps the large open kitchen as a focal point.
It’s perfectly formed to keep locals on repeat who drop in for Earl Grey negronis and wagyu toasties, a post-movie plate of cheese and saying “yes, please” to another glass of pinot. But there’s still enough high-end smarts to make a big night out of multi courses and the worldly cellar (with several drops available by the glass).
Big flavours are Pickett’s signature and that remains unchanged – charred blue mackerel with eel in sauce and mousse form, or miso-roasted eggplant with puffed grains – but more subtle pleasures abound: see seared kangaroo under a sheath of blood plum.
And that fish dish? Perfectly cooked flounder, slathered in an XO sauce with dried anchovy and shrimp adding funky notes to chopped mussels and fermented black beans, and a first date-unfriendly amount of fried garlic and shallots. It’s spectacular.
Must-eat dish: Whole flounder with XO
Open: Lunch Fri-Sun 12-3pm; dinner daily from 6pm
Chef: Scott Pickett, Valentin Barrere
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
BYO: No
Instagram: @estellenorthcote