Hazel on Flinders Lane in Melbourne a good cafe that needs to grow into great restaurant
With drop dead good looks and flame-flecked food, this new eatery offers a sophisticated slice of Melbourne life. But it’s yet to deliver on its biggest promise.
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What’s the difference between a restaurant and cafe?
Outside of “it’s the vibe of the thing”, it’s a surprisingly tricky question to answer in an era where restaurants serve late-night cocktails, cafes serve wine with dinner and bars plate up three courses.
You might say the only real difference is that at a cafe you drink coffee before you eat; at a restaurant it’s offered after.
But it’s more than simply who serves eggs. Though the fundamentals of hospitality are true for both, there’s a different contract of expectations entered into between diner and venue and there’s more to becoming a restaurant than putting a $575 bottle of Torbreck RunRig on a wine list.
Arguably no other outfit has so defined Melbourne’s cafe culture than The Mulberry Group (Nathan Toleman, Ben Clark, Diamond Rozakeas) who were behind Top Paddock, Kettle Black and genre-bending Higher Ground, until they sold up last year to focus on their multi-floor takeover of the T&G Building on Flinders Lane.
In the lobby, Liminal opened earlier this year offering the elevated cafe experience for which they are famed, and is now joined by Hazel, the group’s first restaurant, as well as a basement bar, Dessous.
Spread over two light and airy levels, Hazel looks million bucks and doubtless cost that and some.
Countless quiet design flourishes conspire to create a beautiful space. The languid curve of the banister, the feel of the polished stone table tops, the banquette at perfect height.
The twinkling chandelier and textured light fittings, the J-Lo jungle wallpaper in the loos that come complete with flannel hand towels – this is a space born of a good eye and better taste.
A large, fire-powered open kitchen dominates the upstairs while an expansive bar greets upon entry.
In the kitchen, Zac Nicholson (ex Rockpool Bar & Grill) is having fun with those flames across a carte that features, as a nod to the group’s heritage, a large selection of posh things on toast.
Blistered fillets of red mullet come on a cushion of caper mash and deliver on sourdough a smoky, salty powerhouse of pleasure ($17), though a single anchovy lazing on a thick schmear of creamy-sharp kefir butter is elegance exemplified ($10). Perfect with a beer, Footscray’s Hop Nation is on draught duty with both a lager ($10), and pale ale ($11) offered.
Beforehand, great sesame crisps and French onion dip that come to the table gratis is a nice touch, but I’m not convinced a warm oyster swimming in chicken is an improvement on the salty, briny original ($5.50 each).
The calamari, however, is terrific. Cooked in the pan over coals, the thick strips are properly textural and confidently garlicky and as eminently enjoyable as the nanna chic plate they, and many other dishes, are served on ($16).
Zac’s obviously taken his little black book of suppliers with him for along with that excellent southern calamari he’s serving free range maremma duck, the breast perfectly grilled and roasted to an embarrassed blush, aged balsamic giving a sharp sweetness to the full-flavoured meat. It’s exceptional, but unadorned save a few leaves ($35) so needs a side and at $18 the small plate of crunchy, under-roasted beetroots with fromage frais would be daylight robbery even if it was a knockout dish.
Burnt eggplant lacked expected charry smokiness, the garlic chips atop adding more interest than tautological basil pesto ($14), with a wet braise of leafy greens topped with fried egg a better pick ($13).
Three pastas are offered that include a dainty bowl of chewy cavatelli curls with fresh asparagus, peas, crunchy beans and jamon that’d be a steep $26 entree, even if it were properly seasoned.
I’m all for mindful consumption of meat, but those who baulk at paying $55 for 200g of aged scotch fillet or $90 for 200g of 9+ wagyu – I imagine they are many – would be better off with the plate of Aussie BBQ lamb chops fresh off the grill and drenched in bright chimichurri for $28.
Desserts include a wonderful warm ginger cake in a cast iron pot with confit apple and lemon curd ice cream ($18) and an elegant coconut parfait topped with pineapple marmalade ($19) while coffee to end is from the group’s own roastery.
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The difference between a cafe and restaurant isn’t just charging more, but attention to details the young team, while keen, don’t have experience with yet.
Service is cafe casual rather than restaurant sharp and when the worldly wine list - as interesting as it is – spends almost half its time in three figures it needs to be the latter.
Hazel is lovely, but it’s early days are uneven and expensive. The bones are there, and with time, training and tweaks this good cafe will grow into a great restaurant.
HAZEL
164 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Open Mon-Sat lunch and dinner; Sun lunch
hazelrestaurant.com.au
Go-to dish: Southern calamari
SCORE: 13.5/20