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Julie

Simple pleasures in a picture-perfect garden setting.

The menu is built around produce from the garden.
1 / 9The menu is built around produce from the garden.Supplied
A pastel-hued space that’s undeniably femme.
2 / 9A pastel-hued space that’s undeniably femme.Supplied
Cabbage roll.
3 / 9Cabbage roll.Bonnie Savage
Ox-heart salad.
4 / 9Ox-heart salad.Bonnie Savage
Meringue with grapefruit caramel.
5 / 9Meringue with grapefruit caramel.Bonnie Savage
Spring vegetables with mustard vinaigrette.
6 / 9Spring vegetables with mustard vinaigrette.Bonnie Savage
Butter beans with  goat’s cheese and pine nuts.
7 / 9Butter beans with goat’s cheese and pine nuts.Bonnie Savage
The dining room features high ceilings and ceramic lights.
8 / 9The dining room features high ceilings and ceramic lights.Bonnie Savage
Dinner party vibes.
9 / 9Dinner party vibes.Supplied

Good Food hat15/20

Contemporary$$

You should arrive at Julie during daylight hours for two reasons. The first is to find it, hidden away within Abbotsford Convent. And the second is to allow for a sunset spritz on the terrace, where light filters through century-old oaks and rainbow lorikeets chatter above.

Inside it’s all very femme: muted pastels, shoegaze on the stereo, and wines that incline toward lesser-known varietals by women winemakers. Food is so unfussy it verges on austere, but there’s mastery in presenting a whole baby snapper in nothing more than a glassy pool of garlicky, seafood-infused olive oil.

The earthiness of radicchio just picked from the kitchen garden is offset by jammy fig, hazelnuts and soft goat’s cheese. If it’s too dark after dining for a stroll through the gardens, stick around – perhaps with a forthright lemon delicious pudding for company.

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Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p5fj0c