Neighbourhood restaurant delivers flame-cooked meats to Melbourne’s west
This Mediterranean-inspired spot in Melbourne’s west already has locals on repeat. Here’s why you should make the trek, writes Dan Stock.
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The text came through from an old friend out of the blue.
“Great little dinner in the backblocks of suburbia. Tiny place, delicious and well priced. Super friendly service. Recommend as a great neighbourhood spot. Check it out.”
So it’s off to Maidstone I go, a pocket of the inner west that’s yet to feel the cool breeze on bare ankles of the young and the hip, though you’ll find two markers of gentrification on a small shopping strip.
Along with the laundromat and Vietnamese takeaway and a famous South American cake shop (Marciano’s) there’s a cool cafe serving specialty coffee in Scandi-chic surrounds – Jack B Nimble – and, since the start of the year, On the Bone, with its funky fit out and flame-cooked meats.
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It’s a familiar story: boy finishes school, joins corporate world, gets disillusioned and burnt out before he turns 30 and so boy drops out and opens a restaurant.
But what’s unique about this version is the strength of the package from a first-time operator. It helps that George Tawil is a natural born host with a quick, bright smile that transforms the “feel good” exhortation in neon on the exposed brick wall into reality even before the first drink is poured.
His early days enthusiasm is infectious and while repeated interactions with the public may, in time, dim the dazzle for now this is one of Melbourne’s most agreeable rooms to spend time in because George is simply just. so. nice.
It also helps that the food - a Med-leaning mix of small plates and large proteins to share – is equally so, thanks to co-owners Isaiah Inocencio and Savvas Papageorgio in the kitchen. The trio of childhood friends transformed what was longtime Latin American restaurant Los Latinos into the handsome space of today, with a bar bedecked in emerald tiles, copper down lights and black bentwood chairs and little vases of flowers on the tables adding just the right amount of welcome warmth and homeliness.
So, too, does bread warm from the oven, with smoked marrow butter served in the bone a nice nod to both name and mission statement.
A pond of terrific stracciatella cheese follows soon after, the creamy mozzarella curds teamed with roasted beetroot bolstered with blood orange balsamic. There’s a splash of salsa verde and a few candied walnuts for crunch, the sweetness offset by a sprinkle of Kalamata olive crumbs. A basket of olive oil-drizzled char-marked sourdough finishes a terrific way to start ($16). Tender squid bits, tentacles and all, are a bowl of crunchy fried fun served with a few house-made pickles and punchy tartare ($12).
Bigger dishes are there for the sharing – whole roast chicken with herb salad ($38); a kilo of dry-aged T-bone for $98 – but those who keep sovereign borders over their own plate are also welcomed and the pork belly is a must for those who mistrust this cut that’s usually just an excuse to serve fat.
Here, though, it’s reaffirmingly meaty, marinated in a sweet Filipino-style glaze and cooked sous vide before being finished on the grill, it’s a joy of soft porky chew. A bed of shredded pickled cabbage, parsnip crisps and a few dots of roasted apple puree makes for a happy belly in every way ($27).
A big knuckle of roasted lamb is served with lightly smoked babaganoush and a nicely sweet romesco, char-scarred spring onions underneath and a moat of meaty pan juices makes for a homely classic executed with class ($54). Add a side of roasted carrots – a mix of soft and just-crunchy textures teamed with smoked ricotta and a handful of toasted almonds – for Sunday roast, elevated ($11).
And though I’m not sure quite what a vegetarian would order, neither am I quite sure what they expect at a restaurant named thus – but pescetarian friends aren’t forgotten and the snapper is a knockout. Butterflied and pan-tanned in butter with crisp-fried capers, the fish is expertly treated and interestingly served with pureed celeriac, which adds alluring earthiness ($33).
My friend’s text message also mentioned the “diabolically bad wine list” and yes, while it does need an experienced eye cast over to give it depth and breadth, for now it’s functional and mark ups are minimal.
And while the panna cotta served with underripe peaches in a sickly sweet syrup was the only real miss from the kitchen ($14), you need look no further than the only other dessert. This take on a traditional “mess” sees a cloud of Chocolate Big M aerated into a cloud of cream, and with berries, puffed quinoa and a white chocolate shard, it’s one hot mess, indeed ($12).
Impressive all round and incredibly enjoyable, On the Bone is on the money. Make a Maidstone voyage and discover a new land of plenty.
ON THE BONE
128 Mitchell St, Maidstone
Phone: 9318 2566
Open: Wed-Thurs. dinner; Fri.-Sun lunch-dinner
Go-to dish: Big M mess
Score: 13.5/20
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