Modern Middle Eastern Bar Saracen on Punch Lane is a win for Melbourne
ON Melbourne’s hottest eat street right now, Bar Saracen — a pescatarian’s paradise — is delivering a masterclass in old-school hospitality, writes Dan Stock.
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FLINDERS Lane? Forget about it. For Melbourne’s hottest eat street you now need to head to the top end of (China) town.
Along a single block you can eat David Moyle’s things on sticks cooked over coals and drink “natural” wines that are actually delicious at Longsong, feast on Jerry Mai’s refined mod Indochinese fare at Annam, drink wines from some of our best female winemakers and snack on awesome antipasti at Juliet, grab a pizza with a can of beer at SPQR or take a journey through South East Asia at Sunda, where native Australian ingredients are being boldly incorporated into Indonesian/Malaysian/Vietnamese dishes.
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There’s little more than two dozen steps separating this wealth of great new spots to eat and drink, which also includes Bar Saracen.
Named after the Arab armies that fought in the Crusades, Bar Saracen has planted its flag in Punch Lane, taking over the old Rosa’s Kitchen site.
Bringing together two well-seasoned operators Joseph Abboud - the chef/restaurateur behind East Brunswick’s much-loved Rumi and the Moor’s Head ‘inauthentic pizza’ restaurants – and front-of-house pro Ari Vlassopoulos (Rosa’s Canteen, Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons, Pearl, et. al), the 50-seater’s somewhat austere and simple surrounds belie its big heart.
For this is a place as welcoming to the single snacker in for a mid-arvo bite and some quiet respite as it is a swatch of city suits ordering with abandon.
That’s because Ari delivers a masterclass in the sublime art of the restaurateur. He is the smilingly unflappable face of Bar Saracen, the one who’ll welcome you warmly, seat you quickly and get a drink in front while gently guiding you through the concise menu of mezze and mains.
Little touches of generous hospitality abound: pistachios to shell and crunch while sipping; organic Lebanese cucumber sprinkled in salt and nigella seeds that’s so simple, so outrageously good you’d pay for it but no one’s asked to; there’s even a selection of colognes in the washroom to freshen up with.
Of course the napkins are linen, the decorated cutlery hefty, the glassware functionally elegant.
It’s these non-negotiables borne of more than three decades’ experience that differentiate and elevate.
In the kitchen, Tom Sarafian, who’s been cooking at Rumi under Jospeh for the past three years but also has serious London cred including at Moro, St John and Petersham Nursery.
It shows. Spicing is precise, presentation is likewise, but dishes never lose sight of the generosity of the cuisine, though in flavours rather than simple abundance. Not that anyone leaves hungry.
Tom’s brief is to cook food “of Middle Eastern appearance”, an apt description of dishes that will feel familiar yet are boldly unique; that are rooted in and respectful of traditions but interpreted for today.
I mean, who knew okra is actually the best friend to a cold beer? Well, they are when dusted in cumin, lightly fried to a crunch and given a spritz of lemon ($8), the perfect accompaniment to the eminently smashable Stomping Ground pale ale, one of two beers on tap ($10 schooner). Add a flaky crisp borek filled with a prawn, salty cheese and egg mix – don’t question, just surrender – and you have an excellent opening act ($7 each), especially if you add the plate of creamy-sharp hummus that’s topped with fried chickpeas and a tiny tender dice of calamari. Eat with fluffy hot house-made pita and swoon ($18).
Seafood is a highlight: whether the confidently textural octopus skewered and served with pickled green chilli with balletic heat ($22), a spectacular tarator of barramundi and salmon that’s covered in almonds and pine nuts and served with pickled semillon grapes ($17), or, indeed, a headline act featuring Murray cod, this is a pescatarian’s paradise.
I reckon the sooner we start seeing Murray cod over barramundi on menus the better and there’s no better place to get acquainted with it than here. Crisp skinned and slightly translucent, the subtly sweet fish comes with completely inspired char-edged cabbage and a tahini brightened with verjus and orange. It’s simply brilliant ($33).
Smoky soft eggplant comes with barbecue-burnt onions on a pool of fermented whey called kashik ($12), while perfectly pink, juicy lamb cutlets served with a sumac-spiked “esme” salad takes care of carnivores ($26). A silken pineapple sorbet with a dice of fruit and a good splash of arrack does dessert with refreshing class ($8).
It’s cheeky, it’s fun, it’s generous. The food is excellent and keenly priced and the interesting wines – locals plus a few from “wherever the Arabs have been” - are chosen for enjoyment not ego.
On this searingly hot eat street, Bar Saracen’s smashed it. What a win for Melbourne.
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Bar Saracen
Address: 22 Punch Lane, Melbourne
Ph: 86396 0265
Open: Tue-Fri Midday-11pm; Sat from 5.30pm
Go to dish: Fish tarator with pickled grapes
Score: 15/20
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