Saint.Urban in Richmond from Punch Lane team a heavenly hit

FILLED with heavenly pleasures and earthy delights, Richmond has a new wine bar — and locals are singing its praises.

Taste restaurant review: Saint Urban. Picture: Josie Hayden

RATHER than just crossing your fingers next time you’re doing a Nigella and having 10 people over for dinner, why not hit up Lawrence of Rome? He’s the saint who has your back for all things cooking, and while he might not get your fondant to ooze quite as voluptuously sinfully as that of the Domestic Goddess, you never know, he might just stop you burning the roast.

There’s Saint Nicolas — yes, jolly fat Christmas Nick — who’s the patron saint of baking and beer (no wonder we all invite him into our homes). Saint Martha is the patron saint of waiters — so give a little thanks to her every time you get a good one, because they are worth their weight in Hail Marys — while Antony the Abbot is one of many keeping an eye over butchers.

And then there’s Saint Urban, who’s the patron saint of wine makers and whose name is invoked to look over proceedings at a most excellent new wine bar from the team behind venerable city spot Punch Lane.

In this age of burger-led balance sheet augmentation, Martin Pirc — who’s the embodiment of owner-operator hospitality of the most genuine kind — is refreshingly old school. Saint. Urban, open a month, is an overnight success two decades in the making, a direct extension of everything thus learnt on the Punch Lane floor.

The model remains the same: a space where a quick afternoon glass of something good teamed with a nibble on something equally so is as welcome as making a two-bottle, four-course night of it. Here in Richmond he’s joined in partnership with Daniel Schelbert, the Punch Lane chef now looking after the kitchens in both, and Daniel’s partner Pia Tatjana-Tukiainen who’s looking after the wine.

Though the list is tight — six dozen or so deep — it’s filled with delicious drinking at every turn, with not a dud among it. A celebration of locals doing interesting things — a luxuriously creamy, pear and apply marsanne from Tellurian in Heathcote, $54, paired perfectly to a cold Saturday afternoon — is rounded out with a showing of mainly French and Italian internationals.

Though the drinking’s not cheap, it is very good, and the handsome space makes for settling in with a bottle an effortlessly easy proposition. From the entrance via the laneway through hand-crafted ceramic tiles in the loo, the wrought iron work through quilted leather covers on the surprisingly comfortable curved bench seat, the attention to detail is patent throughout the 50-seat space.

Daniel’s menu follows a similar line to the CBD, though truncated (and at suburban prices), but with a char grill to play with.

He’s using it to great effect on slabs of deep ruby ox tongue branded by those hot bars. Four meltingly soft tranches are served with cubes of just-hot mustard fruits and finished with a dusting of fresh horseradish. Decadently rich, deeply delicious ($16).

A meaty octopus tentacle is also finished on the grill, the smoky suckers blackened crisp. It’s served with slices of medium-heat chorizo grilled warm and a tangy whole guindilla chilli that adds punchy heat ($18) to the soft meat.

Supple tiles of cuttlefish ($17) are served as a conga-line heading for a dramatic dip into a squid-ink pool, the procession topped with a scattering of spiced, toasted corn kernels that are as textural as the cuttlefish is soft. It makes for another lovely entree.

But should you just want to stick with the snacks, the pan-tanned squares of sheep’s haloumi served with small wild figs marinated in a peppery syrup walk the sweet, savoury, sharp path with elan ($8).

A jar of expert parfait comes topped with more of that spiced corn, which cleverly adds crunch to the deep purple silken livers. Lengths of pickles with a hint of chilli cut through all that buttery richness ($12).

Even the plate of marinated olives — so often little more than a cynical bill bumper — was bursting with lemony, star anise and fennel flavours ($7).

Main courses are generously portioned and make for an ample single course. Whether excellent gnocchi — golden brown pillows with pumpkin drizzled in burnt butter under a sprinkling of amaretti crumbs, $28 — or a hunger-busting pork cutlet served with a colourful mound of braised peppers ($28) or the brilliant bowl of chips from thrice-cooked local spuds ($9), the meals hit the “wine bar with food” mission statement with understated but definitive class. It’s food that makes you happy; clever without overreach.

There’s an outside Swan St patio where the heaters keep things warm for the next months, but will also be a perfect spot for Aperol spritz come summer, and where a bust of Saint Urban sits keeping company. But he requires no votive candles lit in his honour; his terrestrial home is blissfully blight free. It’s the local Richmond didn’t know it needed and now can’t live without.

14/20

Saint. Urban

213 Swan St, Richmond

8456 0933

sainturban.com.au

Open: 3pm-11pm Tues-Thurs; Friday, Noon-late; Sat-Sun from 11am (kitchen closes 9pm Sun).

Highlight: Wines by the class

Lowlight: Another bottle’s too easy