cutler & co

service and food was excellent
seafood was cook to perfection
i was very impressed over all
our son took us for lunch as we are from sydney

if you’re after a truly memorable dinning experience then look no further than cutler & co. i’ve been fortunate enough to dine at some of the best restaurants in melbourne and i have to say this is definitely up there with the best (i’ll actually go as far as calling it one of my favourites).

so what makes it so good? everything! no really, everything. as soon as you walk into the beautifully fit out gertrude street restaurant you are welcomed by the incredibly friendly front of house staff. there wasn’t one staff member that didn’t greet us as we were lead to our table in the middle of the restaurant, which made us feel like we were right where we were supposed to be.

very dissapointed. walked in hoping to be seated and eat some delicious food...however instead were "greeted" by the rudest waiter ever. we asked for a table for two, he said "for what?" ...err, some food? we were then ushered out the door with "the kitchen is closed". had they bothered to write the times on the door we wouldn't have bothered them. all he needed to do was greet us with an apology for the kitchen being closed. rude, rude, rude!! will never go there again!

sublime food!. so i just spent $85 on a dinner at cutler & co, one of the most highly-regarded restaurants in melbourne. i rarely eat at such 'high class' establishments, but i felt the atmosphere here still quite casual, and more about fine food than snobbishness. i got just got an appetiser/entree, main and dessert instead of the $130 degustation menu, but it was definitely some of the best food i've ever had.
the appetiser was a 'wagyu bresaola & horseradish' which was basically thinly sliced layers of cured wagyu beef, like a carpaccio, lightly sprinkled with horseradish. the wagyu was quite salted, but of course very tender, fatty, and hearty. the horseradish left a faint but satisfying zing to the dish.
i should mention the crusty bread: brioche and sour-dough, with some kind of relish, which in itself was a delight.
the main was ironically a vegetarian dish: 'pine mushroom barigoule, globe artichoke, stracciatella du bufala & black rice'. i had to ask the waitress what 'barigoule' was, and i'm still not exactly sure, but as in the photo it consisted of pine mushrooms and artichoke sauted in butter in it's own consume, a very curdy lump of delicious buffalo's milk cheese (had the vague taste of hollandaise sauce actually), and a sort of black rice risotto in a separate pan cooked in a mushroom base. it was a revelation: the tastes, textures...the rice was a tad salty, but of perfect consistency, not too gluey but smooth but with a satisfying crunch. the mushrooms were of course tender, fresh, and perfectly cooked, and the sauce 'plate licking good'.
the dessert was a fitting finale. i chose the 'lemon granite, juniper, parsnip & almond cake.' before that came a 'pre-dessert' of lemon myrtle and olive oil yoghurt sorbet and rhubarb conserve, which was of course delicious. the dessert itself: wow, as usual, the chefs combine unusual flavours that come together in such a unique, exciting way, and they really work. one would not think a very eggy, rich almond cake, lemon granita, cake crumbs and icy sorbet and shaved ice granita topped with crunchy deep fried parsnip would go together well, but it really did! the rich cake, mild tang of the granita, and savoury of the parsnip was something else. the food is almost the epitome of what can be done with great ingredients combined together creatively

the service was pretty attentive and friendly, without being over the top. the dishes came quite quickly, i was seldom left waiting for long. highly recommended!

service started out enthusiastic and the front desk welcome was like arriving home, but things flagged as the night wore on: if you’re prepared to let someone order the full cleveland at 10 o’clock at night, you’ve got to go the distance with them. i also am not a fan of the multiple-servers thing: it may be old school but i like to develop a rapport with one waiter over the course of an evening, not have plates dropped off with varying degress of interest or care (“carrots!”).

love dinning here food always at a great standard and service always friendly.

the food for their sunday lunch was very simply prepared – i guess this ‘paid respect’ to their ingredients but it also seemed to lack the complexity that i was expecting. other than the presentation i feel like i could have prepared the majority of what we ate at home pretty easily. that being said, everything was pretty tasty and i would probably go back.

inside an inconspicuous shopfront, with a kitchen in the entrance, is a first rate fine dining experience called cutler & co.

the restaurant was full, but the staff were up to it, in the kitchen, in the bar and in the serving of the food.

the tables were well spaced, assisted by booth style seating. it was easy to converse, the background noise was low.
the pace was steady and unhurried

the icecream sandwich with salted caramel; and the violet ice cream, chocolate ganache, sour cherry and some floral concoction.

this restaurant is seriously overrated. yes, the food is good but you'd find better and at lower prices at other restaurants within walking distance. seems to me the restaurant's strategy is to drag out the service so that customers buy and drink more alcohol, and therefore do not notice the sparsity of the serving sizes and the poverty of value through their inebriation.

cutler & co. unbelievable flavour combinations, such attention to detail in presentation. friendly staff although they are a little pretentious. but apparently not as bad as they where originally. fish was cooked perfectly and was very fresh. desert was like art but so many amazing tastes. we where unsure about the wines on the wine list and where given an amazing choice of wines, is up there as far as pricing goes but well worth it. great for that special occasion to impress that special some one.

great food matched with great and knowledgeable service. the steak was perfectly cooked and reccomended wine matched perfectly.

fine dining at it's best!. amazing restaurant, easily one of the best in melbourne. service is flawless, food is spectacular and the venue itself is beautiful. perfect restaurant for special occasions. a little pricey, but worth every cent!

the $75 price for the sunday lunch is a great value tasting lunch for food of this quality, and i would recommend it to anyone curious about cutler and co but hesitant to splash out on the full dinner degustation.

fantastic food, fantastic wine, great hand soap. 1 ply toliet paper. i felt like i had my butt sifted with sandpaper. service staff and all the trimmings highly recomended. all in all about 2 ply out of 5 stars