Richmond's barbecue restaurant Meatmother closed in March, and classy Caddie has teed off in its place.

The name is not a golfing reference though, rather a hat-tip to the heroine of owner-chef Dylan Evans' favourite book Caddie, a Sydney Barmaid.

Catherine "Caddie" Edmonds, a bartender during the Depression era, would surely approve of Evans' establishment. Meatmother's dark interior has been brightened; the downstairs bar remains, the wooden benches replaced with blond timber tabletops, now set with linen napkins not serviettes.

Evans' (ex-Fargo and Co., also on Swan Street) solo menu is a tightly edited selection of share plates and snacks plus a couple of specials. Start or finish with a Welsh rarebit (listed under desserts) and expect modern compositions such as beetroot, marigold vinegar, salted plum and almond, influenced perhaps by Evans's stints at Noma and Chicago's Alinea.

Caddie keeps it smart-casual. Perch on a leather stool for a wine (mostly local with a few French drops) and snacks or settle in upstairs for a share-friendly dinner.

Open Thu-Sat noon-3pm; Tue-Sat 5.30pm-late.

167 Swan Street, Richmond, caddierestaurant.com.au