embla

a real gem of a place. sort of venue you can park up at the bar and see a night thru eating and drinking fine things . a definite must visit

came for a quick and easy lunch, portions were a little too generous.great set of staffs, handled reservation issues fast (which probably was my fault to begin with), sat at the bar by the kitchen for to see interesting set of professional kitchen staffs who knows how to have fun at work on sunday lunch.

good place for light dinner and small chat. very busy on wednesday night, we waited around 30 mins. the dishes came out very slowly. the music was a little bit aloud for us. my husband and me ordered 5 dishes, we liked pipis and duck liver. the place more likes bar instead of restaurant. my husband doesn't feel full after having 3 dishes and one bottle of wine. so we went for a ramen after dinner. lol.

remember the days when you had to travel to the city to go to the cinema? greater union in russell st was one of the biggest; and after the movie, we'd head across the road to grab a pizza at one of melbourne's first pizza restaurants, pizza napoli. those guys were so ahead of their time, using thin bases made from 'oo' flour, which is considered the standard now.

then one day it was gone...when i noticed the restaurant had closed, i mourned a piece of my childhood. luckily, every cloud has a silver lining, and i was excited to hear that the new people to take over the space at 122 russell st were the crew from town mouse in carlton.

this new city wine bar/eatery is offering something quite unique: embla is far from a simple wine bar concept. its website states:

our tastes in wine might be slightly weird but we think there are others out there like us.
so take the time to chat with the friendly and knowledgeable staff, who will guide you on your wine adventure..... make sure you're ubering home, as you won't stop at one glass.

the only link to its predecessor is the wood fired oven. although the food menu is small, there are many items that marry well with the smoky flavour, such as their roast half chicken, or pork chop with the oven-roasted crunchy crackling. there are beautiful raw options for something lighter. a twist on the classic vitello tonnato comes with chopped raw veal, rocket and peas. the snapper tartare is light, tangy and full of zest. we also tried the duck liver parfait with fermented turnip and wafer-thin toasted sourdough. embla offers perfect food and wine combinations that break with tradition, sending you on a sensory adventure. there is a delectable cheese selection too, if you're there for some supper.

the ambience is dark, yet cozy; and the beautiful timber and brass panelling creates a parisian touch. you can be seated at the tables, or for something more casual, find a stool at the bar or beside the kitchen.

embla only takes lunch reservations, so be prepared to wait if you decide to go at night. this is a good quality, unique addition to the cbd - and it's open until late.

ranked no.1 melbourne's best restaurant october 2016, time out

beautiful experience at embla the staff were very knowledgeable and the food and drinks were so on point. it seems quite small but is packed with so many treats. certainly didn't expect this here thanks guys you are awesome

awesome date place. very intimate and good to taste a variety of wines. staff were attentive and friendly and helpful.
we will have good next time. what we saw looked delicious!

fantastic experience at embla. came for their lunch on sunday set menu for $50pp. which tbh was excellent value. three small entres, main to share and salad as a side finished with a dessert. loved it!!

another melbourne restaurant that makes we wish sydney had something similar. we tried the sunday tasting menu, and it was an ideal amount of delicious homely food, at a reasonable price

loved the vibe inside this place. we went for afterwork drinks but i will be back for food. such a great selection of wine and beer plus the waiters are friendly and attentive

this is the second time i've been here and both times have been excellent. wait staff are attentive and knowledgeable. shared tomato straciatella, pickled cucumber and a few other dishes and all were very tasty. bread is also of high quality.

this was literally the worst meal i've ever had outside of fast food in the entire 7 years i've lived in melbourne. one thing i will give them is this: the food is beautifully and exquisitely presented. but once the food hits your taste buds it feels like it came from a cheap suburban supermarket. the duck was chewy and tasteless, the feta tasted like budget supermarket dip and even the wine recommended by the waiter was gross. i wonder whether the high score is influenced by the visual presentation of the food. i see no other explanation.
must also say that waiters were nice but by no means attentive. for a place like this you shouldn't keep having to call them over.

sooo many way better places.

really cool little place, amazing wine, but what we really need to talk about is that super sexy, sumptuous sourdough bread... holy moly, i need a moment.

embla is hot news, having featured in september’s gourmet traveller and being listed as number 30 on the list of the top 100 australian restaurants. it matches great wines with simple but successful share plates. it’s open long and useful hours (but not sunday’s). it also has great desserts like the apple blossom creme caramel $10..

amazed by the plates served to us last night, we had the cream corn which was out of the world, tomato with smoked ricotta - delightful, carpaccio, duck parfait, rustic sour dough keep you wanting for more. vino was on point and great service as well - well deserved for winning the best newcomer restaurant!

wow! i'm really impressed with this place i just had to write a review. the most stand out dish was the whipped cod roe herbs provence flatbreads! i've never tasted anything like it. it was really yummy! i would seriously go back just to order this dish. i also enjoyed the veal tartare. it was refreshing and quite unique, different from other tartares i've tasted. i also ordered the heirloom tomatoes with smoked goats ricotta and oregano, the duck and oysters which were all great too. (oysters were amazingly fresh) i loved the relaxed atmosphere of this place. i could see myself coming again to try out other dishes and drop by to have a drink or two!