Ramblr: Casual vibe, pity about the noise
Casual fine dining in the Prahran Market precinct, Melbourne.
My friend Sue lives in South Yarra. Her gentleman caller Michael in Prahran. On paper, at least, Ramblr should be an equidistant, perfect local. But is it?
With the explosion of apartment numbers in the area has come a predictable explosion of a different kind: eateries catering to new residents who want to be here for exactly that reason: the ability to stroll five minutes and target a squillion affordable places to eat that are more fun, and more social, than sitting at home listening to trams rattle past the front door.
Most of the action has been in the Windsor end of Chapel Street, but as bricks-and-mortar businesses adapt to the new retail paradigm, that thing you can’t buy online, the restaurant experience, is creeping back into Chapel Street South Yarra, once the national epicentre of fashion. They’re filling the void. That’s where Ramblr comes into sight.
The Pitch: Casual fine dining in the Prahran Market precinct.
The reality: Ramblr is, I read, the extension of an established business partnership that already plays in the hot chicken/hipster sandpit on the other side of town. Reversing the usual dynamic of chefs who get sick of making no money doing smart a la carte and open a burger or chicken joint, Ramblr goes in the other, aspirational, direction.
It’s still casual, good looking with polished floors, exposed beams, Scandinavian furniture and linen napkins, open-kitchened (beards and tatts mandatory) with a long dining bar and plenty of noise. Pity the rocking 1970s soundtrack didn’t start until dessert time (and, no, the Stones track was not Midnight Rambler).
The cuisine: Now you’ve got me. How do you categorise a menu that goes from a kimchi and cheese toastie to roast chicken with gravy, sorry jus gras? Taramasalata to crab fettuccine? There’s a bit of everything here to go with the craft beers, plus a dripping-with-irony industrial: Melbourne Bitter. And a wine list that mixes traditional and less-so styles. Mark-ups are about 110-120 per cent on typical retail. Not shy.
Highlights: Outstanding, silken taramasalata, full of punchy flavour, served with a house baked flat loaf, shows the kitchen at its best. Grilled flank steak with a very pleasant red wine/shallot butter, pickled little nameko mushrooms and delicate onion rings is good value too, at $26, properly cooked using quality meat. And a dessert of peanut butter parfait concealed within chocolate ganache, with a dark blackberry sorbet, is a gem.
Lowlights: Charming as our waiter seemed, he was difficult to hear and made the mistake of beginning his spiel without waiting for our group’s attention. Interrupting. Doesn’t work for me. And that crab fettuccine? The pasta had the slippery consistency and “bite” of a pad thai noodle, the garlic butter tasted of chopped raw garlic and sometimes bottarga can be bitter. It was. As a concept, the idea of burrata on puff pastry was a dud, too, despite the accompanying salsa verde and pickled apple.
Will I need a food dictionary? No.
The damage: Fair.
In summary: There’s been a lot of hype about Ramblr. I’m not quite sure why. Sue and Michael plan to meet elsewhere. “I’d rather pay twice as much and go to Dinner by Heston,” quoth the gentleman.
Ramblr
Contact: 363 Chapel St, South Yarra, phone: (03) 9827 0949, ramblr.com.au | Hours: lunch Fri.-Sun; dinner Tue-Sun | Score: 2.5 out of 5