Alium in Bendigo part of the UNESCO City of Gastronomy

Bendigo has been named Australia’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy — and its newest restaurant cements the city’s spot on the list.

The chocolate, coffee and caramel dessert at Bendigo’s Alium. Picture: Rob Leeson

It’s official: Bendigo is world famous for food.

Victoria’s fourth biggest city is the first in Australia to be named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, and as such joins such tasty tourist hot spots as Macau in China and Parma in Italy.

Bendigo’s designation as a delicious destination is a boon for the city where pioneering champions of the produce and producers of central Victoria, Nick and Sonia Anthony at Masons, have been joined by a new generation of hospitality operators who have brought vim, vigour and damn fine eating and drinking.

At Harvest, sommelier-turned-winemaker Lincoln Riley looks after the cellar door bottle-o, while partner Marsha Busse turns out wickedly wonderful pastries and next-level almond croissants.

Around the corner, sister-and-brother duo Rhianwen Seiter and Ellis Nuttall are shaking cool cocktails and serving Euro-influenced plates at the terrific Ms Batterhams.

Country style: the impressively refurbished historic dining room. Picture: Rob Leeson

Nimbus is Bendigo’s first rooftop bar that serves up stunning views of the historic city’s skyline along with local spirits and regional wines, while in the morning get your day under way in a meat-free way at vegan cafe, Adam & Eve – where it’s not the apple that’s forbidden.

There are terrific toasties and beaut bagels at Ghosty Toasty (found within an analog photography studio), rocking ramen at Harpoon Social Club and laid-back grungy cool dive bar vibes at the Basement Bar.

And just a floor above but another world away is Bendigo’s newest restaurant, Alium Dining.

Scheduled to open in March – oh, oh – the restaurant got five weeks of service in July before, fingers crossed, they opened for good a few weeks back.

Located in the historic Colonial Mutual Life building, it’s a beautiful room where stain glass-edged picture windows frame Bendigo’s famous fountain and green of Rosalind Park beyond, and restored decorated high ceilings lend an air of grandeur.

Rich and rewarding: the angel hair pasta with pancetta and yolk. Picture: Rob Leeson.

Forest green, high-backed velour chairs and pale grey linen banquettes are supremely comfortable; moody black-and-white landscape prints add a touch of misty country.

Crockery is lovely, napkins are linen, service is charming and beers and wine predominantly local and fairly marked up. So far, so very good.

But it’s what Jay Harkness is serving up that both cements Alium as a worthy addition to a City of Gastronomy, and Harkness as a young chef to watch.

At just 24, he’s already spent a decade in kitchens here in Bendigo (Rocks on Rosiland; Wine Bank on View) and in Melbourne (at Oter, the boundary-pushing French) and here on his small, yet cleverly formed one-size-fits-all menu, he’s turning out some clever, dexterous and delicious cooking.

Warm sourdough with great crust crunch and whipped cultured butter set the scene; three perfectly cooked scallops – pan-tanned and creamily gelatinous – served on their shells with a smoked lemon butter sauce, lifted with pops of finger lime quickly follow. Lovely ($18).

Hello tartare: the Asian-influenced beef tartare is original and confident.

An Asian-influenced take on tartare is terrific, the vibrantly ruby dice of meat is seasoned with black vinegar and dried chillies for sharp tingling depth, a dice of pickled cucumber adds freshness to the rice crisps’ crunch.

It’s an original and confident dish I’d happily return for ($18).

The veg plates are equally strong, whether the inspired addition of white wine-soused raisins to shaved stalks of asparagus on whipped goats’ cheese ($16), or the welcome touch of burnt honey sweetness and charred witlof bitterness to roasted pumpkin filled with smoked ricotta ($16).

Masterstock poached lamb ribs finished with a cumin-spiked caramel are meaty, sticky, sweet and fatty decadence lifted with a squeeze of fresh lime ($20).

It’s easy being green: wine-plumped raisins with asparagus.

Veg pledge: Roasted pumpkin filled with ricotta, witlof and honey

Powerfully smoky eggplant is the cushion for Shaoxing marinated quail blackened on the grill ($20) while supple angel hair pasta tossed through pancetta cubes is a nest for a gooey yolk hidden under a blizzard of parmesan ($22).

Harkness then hands over to Daniel Treacy – who competed in season one of Zumbo’s Just Desserts – to finish proceedings with a multi-pronged sonnet to chocolate and coffee in all their mousse, crisp, ganache and ice-creamed glory, with myriad techniques, textures and tastes across an artful plate ($19).

Given their stop-start year, Alium is already impressive and will doubtless improve as time goes on.

It’s yet another reason to put Bendigo high on your regional Vic road trip list.

ALIUM DINING

17 View Point, Bendigo

Open: Dinner Thurs-Sat; lunch Sat-Sun

aliumdining.com.au