cutler & co

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

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 finefoodthan snobbishness. i got just got an appetiser/entree, main and dessert instead of the $130 degustation menu, but it was definitely some of the bestfoodi'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. thefoodis 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!

love dinning herefoodalways at a great standard and service always friendly.

thefoodfor 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.

this restaurant is seriously overrated. yes, thefoodis 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.

greatfoodmatched 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,foodis 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 forfoodof this quality, and i would recommend it to anyone curious about cutler and co but hesitant to splash out on the full dinner degustation.

as a disclaimer to this post, the photos really don't do it any justice. if you lovefoodthat is aesthetically pleasing and technical, this is the place to be, each plate was like a piece of art. the front of house is amazing. embarrassingly, we were over 40 minutes late to our last-minute, only-happened-because-someone-pulled-out and i'm-from-sydney plea over the phone. running to the glass doors, a glamorous looking nanny mcphee like character slid across the floor and opened the door to allow us in. she wore crescent moon glasses on her nose, hair tied in a bun and wore a floor length black trench coat. without evening mentioning my name, she knew who i was and guided (while she elegantly glided) across to our table. cured kingfish, smoked onion, seaweed vinegar, beetroot & rye we kick start with a trio of entrees. first is a beautiful plate encasing a delicate piece of kingfish and all sorts, it was like inspecting and picking apart a garden with some beetroot here, o

thefoodhere is lovely and the service was very attentive. the morton bay bugs were great and both our main meals were fantastic. we were surprised that one of the wines we asked for from the list hadn’t been delivered yet.
all in all this is a great restaurant in a really good location.

cutler & co in fitzroy is chef andrew mcconnell’s flagship restaurant.  despite having such a wealth of amazing restaurants and cafes around melbourne, there are some that immediately conjure that next level excitement.  vue de monde, attica, these are a regular feature in most foodie’s “top 10″ lists of melbourne restaurants and cutler & co deserves it’s place among this “must try” list. converted from an old metal works factory, cutler & co has a wonderful mix of rustic bare-brick walls and modern fixtures, the lights in particular are particularly impressive, offering an great atmospheric illumination of the restaurant.  an open kitchen as you walk in also gives you the sense that these are chefs that want to impress and being able to sit and eat at the bar overlooking the prep-area gives you a unique insight into the world of a fine dining restaurant and a great chance to chat to the friendly chefs while they go about their business.  the staff in a place like this could always topple off the fine line between professional and snobbish, but they were very friendly and attentive which added to the charm. please excuse the photo’s, all that was to hand was my mobile which didn’t take too kindly to the dark “atmospheric” conditions inside the restaurant.  hopefully i can return this year and do thefoodmore justice. starting off the 6 course degustation was a clever amuse bouche, mixing creamy textures with tangy flavours.   the fromage blanc cigar consisting of a sweet pastry tube filled with cream, black olive tapenade and taramasalata.  a great touch was this being presented to us in an authentic cigar box.  it’s the little things that matter and this was certainly a good indication of what was to come. cutler and co – amuse fromage blanc cigar the first main was cured snapper, eel brandade, dill oil & buttermilk.  such delicate flavours and yet so incredibly tasty at the same time.  the snapper and eel were a perfect combination, the eel subtle rather than a p

over cooked & over priced. appetiser ok, entree alright, but, our mains were rubbish (rock flat head)- our fish was burnt to a crisp and the octopus was as chewy as a crappy deep fried calamari ring from a suburban fish and chip shop. the wait between courses was excruciating, so i had already devoured my main, but my friend sent her's back. instead of offering her another one, it was simply removed from the bill. wtf? seriously? so, effectively, the poor girl doesn't get a dinner? dessert was unimaginative- they both had a crumble, ice cream, fruit and a sauce... lazy.

maybe that's the plan at cutler & co- make people wait so damn long for theirfoodthat they won't mind paying fifty bucks for a plate of rubbish. i mean, who on earth thinks it is acceptable to send out burnt fish?! the mind boggles.

i have eaten world class, i have drank it and i have been served by it. sadly, however, not on this particular night at cutler & co.

worth the price tag. please note - this review is looking back at a visit we made to cutler & co. in 2014

impeccable service, impeccablefoodand impeccable wine. what more could you want?! yes, it's expensive, but i would say it was worth it. save this place for when you're celebrating a special occasion.

amazingfood(had the suckling pig, which is to die for!) and outstanding service. top notch.

nice fine dining restaurant - a very cosy and romantic setting. service was amazing, very attentive waiters.  ordered the chef's menu; menu focussed largely on local australian produce. the suckling pig and sourdough bread was a particular highlight but i was informed that the bread was outsourced from a bakery. i cant fault thefoodbut no real wow factor to make me return considering the price tag,