• Jess Ho's guide to eating in Richmond

The wine bar is the restaurant genre of the moment in Melbourne, but some suburbs are better endowed than others. Richmond, mysteriously, is not one of them. But that could be changing, with Clover Vin De Cave opening this week, joining new-ish Lene and Waygood.

Chef Charley Snadden-Wilson (ex Etta, Embla, Town Mouse) and wine guy Lyndon Kubis (The Moon, Alps) have created their take on a Paris wine cave, aided by the old world feel of leadlight windows at the front and stacked wine boxes dotted around the space. Timber joinery features heavily, made by West Wood who are also responsible for the look at Waxflower bar in Brunswick.

Kubis and Snadden-Wilson have had more than a year to consider every detail, thanks to a succession of delays and detours, including building an additional chimney for the wood-fired kitchen.

But with hindsight, Snadden-Wilson can see the bright side: "It's nice that we have had time and thought it through in every aspect."

A custom Brick Chef oven and grill is the hero ingredient of his menu. Smoked capsicum is served with tiny curls of grilled calamari and oregano, and beefsteak tomatoes are charred and smoked until they collapse, served with fermented white asparagus and white anchovies.

Thoughtful and low-waste techniques are another focus. Turbot, dry-aged for up to five days, is roasted in the wood-fired oven and paired with smoked mussels; its collagen is the basis for a sauce.

Fresh ricotta-style cheese is partnered with burnt agrodolce onions, while navy beans are cooked in the leftover whey, simmered until they become caramelised and nutty.

Whole animals, such as lamb from Gamekeepers Meats, will be broken down for use across sister venues including Milton Wine Shop.

With an extremely low pass in the kitchen, each of the 48 seats will feel close to the fiery action, not only those that are at the chef's counter. Chefs will also dart to tables to serve dishes, under the watchful eye of manager Sarah Riley (ex The Moon, Dessous). She's got a cellar of close to 200 bottles to play with.

While the bar and banquettes will taking bookings, a large communal table and a rear courtyard will be saved for walk-ins.

Open Tue-Thu noon-10pm, Sat non-11pm, Sun noon-5pm, from November 24

193 Swan Street, Richmond, 03 9421 2645, clover.wine