Eat Drink Man Woman in Richmond, NSW

GONE is the grunge of the old Retro Cafe, which the quirkily named Eat Drink Man Woman has replaced.

taste melb review

GONE is the grunge of the old Retro Cafe, which the quirkily named Eat Drink Man Woman has replaced.

A breath of fresh air for Brunny St, EDMW serves super-fresh, simple and unchallenging grilled protein enhanced with Mediterranean and Asian elements. Service is thoughtful and charming, and a very limited list of wines may all be bought by glass or bottle.

FOOD

FOOD should come to the table seasoned, but I've noticed a trend towards serious salting.

From a health point of view, it's no doubt anti-social, but it's also good to see commercial kitchens trying to extract higher flavours from the stars of their dishes. In a couple of cases at EDMW, however, the ploy backfired both a skate main ($21) and pickled ox tongue encore ($16) were a little too salty.

In the latter, the fault was in the offering's conception. Instead of three big and obviously salty anchovy fillets bestriding 4cm-thick slices of luscious and tender tongue, three halves of fillet would have been perfect. A light and creamy and very green "bagna verde" sauce (mainly parsley, garlic and olive oil) topped the tongue.

EDMW lists six "openers" and the same number of mains. Several of the offerings boast new flavour combinations, such as "Balinese-style" pork belly and mussels with fino sherry, chorizo and parsley ($15).

Main-course sizes are huge one would do a meal.

I've not seen bigger mussels. Nine arrived, poached just to opening in a juice that had a more consistent and lightly oaky flavour than your usual white-wine reductions.

The molluscs were brilliantly tasty and lightly gelatinous. Rounds of fried chorizo added a saline diversion you could take or leave, and a light precipitation of chopped parsley covered the lot. A high oblong of skate - why isn't this fish used more? - was perfectly cooked and had intense characteristic flavour.

It was just a pity that it was also quite salty, probably from the seasoning with which it was speckled. More salt came with baby capers, and pipped and peeled lemon segments riding it were a welcome foil.

I was looking forward to a classic burnt butter, a traditional accompaniment, for the fish. But it had been diluted, its character destroyed, by juices weeping from the skate.

A huge serving of "charred" lamb rump ($23) done pink had excellent taste. But it was quite chewy, and a central sinew don't ask me about the anatomy might have been removed. It came with a small pile of terrific, small, grilled artichoke halves and olives.

Orbs of ice creams of the day ($9) were exemplary honey and saffron, vanilla-bean and a Spanish-influenced coffee.

STAFF

I LIKE the trend of being offered tastings of wine and beers you're about to buy.

EDMW does it. I also liked the relaxed charm of the waitress, and couldn't fault the service overall.

DRINK

EDMW offers very limited drinking, but at least it's relatively cheap. Seven table whites, a rose and and seven reds are it, all by glass or bottle at between $7.50 and $48.

Most bottles are in the $30s. Bellvale pinot noir is $10/$48. A couple of microbrewers' offerings are among the beers.

X-FACTOR

SLEEK, bright and new, EDMW has an airy, contemporary feel and is a pleasure to be in. You sit on comfy, chrome-framed chairs, the old hardwood floorboards beneath your feet have been polished up and the brick walls and high Victorian ceiling have been whitewashed. Pity about the paper napkins, which should be replaced by fabric.

VALUE

THE faults I found with the food could easily be eliminated. That assumed, you get terrific, freshly cooked dishes here at bargain prices. But it would be nice to be able to book.

HOW IT RATED: Eat Drink Man Woman (413 Brunswick St; ph 9419 0088)

Food: 15/20
Staff: 10/10
Drink: 3/5
X-factor: 3/5
Value: 7/10

THE SCORE OUT OF 50: 38