NOW EXPERIENCING:Carnation Canteen
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Carnation Canteen

Monday: Closed
165 Gore St, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065
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@carnationcanteen

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 01 Oct 2024

By
Pat Nourse

The entrance to wine bar Carnation Canteen in Melbourne's Fitzroy

Good things come in small packages at this backstreet Fitzroy wine bar.

The setting inside Fitzroy's Carnation Canteen, Melbourne
Why you goThe canteen is, in a word, entirely charming. From the low-key name and the low-key (but gorgeous) residential corner setting a block back from busy Smith Street, the scene is laid for good times that unfold gently and in their own time. Co-owner and chef Audrey Shaw’s background provides some clues: key stops on her kitchen journey include the River Café and Tedesca Osteria. One is a celeb-magnet powerhouse on the Thames, one of London’s defining restaurants of the past 20 years, and the other is one of the most sought-after tables in Victoria. The through-line there, apart from excellence, and apart from both being led by women, is a Mediterranean-inspired insistence on the produce coming first, and a close appreciation of the good things in life: food, drink, design, architecture, the lot. Carnation Canteen isn’t so grand as Tedesca, let alone River Café, but it nonetheless channels that same love of clean lines, focused plates and fresh flavours. If that sounds like your jam, you’re in for a good time here.
What drink to orderThe words “Spring Spritz” are hard to resist right now, especially when they’re followed up with more words like “mezcal, manzanilla and bitters”, so pour us a long glass of that awesomeness, stick a wedge of blood orange into it and slide it our way. There again, the house Martini has much to commend it – vodka, very (very) dry garnished with a twist. But then what about Champagne? It’s something the Carnation crew care about a lot – so much so that they’ll often have a fancy bottle of something off the beaten track, like a Pierre Peters Blanc de Blanc, on pour by the glass. The other pours usually run to a choice of about 15 bottles all up: a couple of other interesting fizzy things, not necessarily from France, and then a selection big on smaller producers – chardonnay by Cathedral Ranges winemakers Gum, for example, or a fine shiraz from Heathcote legends Syrahmi. Don’t turn your nose up at the house wine, either – a white and a red, both from Abruzzo in central Italy, and at a wallet-friendly price.
What to eat

Ask Audrey what to order and she might suggest half a dozen oysters and a packet of chips (Chappy’s – the best). There are certainly worse ways to accompany a good glass of wine. But given that the handwritten menu isn’t huge and changes every week, why not go deeper? Two people can just about knock the whole thing off in one go. You might start with supple ribbons of 16-month aged San Daniele prosciutto with slivers of pear, or bresaola (AKA delicious cured beef) with a grating of fresh horseradish. Something creamy in the mix? How does buffalo mozzarella with pickled radicchio grab you? Pasta is a thing here. Check the cappellacini di zucca, little parcels of melting pasta wrapped around a pumpkin filling with a classic sage and butter sauce. Something more substantial? 

Pork simmered in bay leaf-scented milk could well be the answer. Or King George whiting, that finest of the Australian fishes, cooked whole over charcoal.

Two dishes served up at Carnation Canteen in Melbourne
Regular’s tipThe usual thinking in wine bars is to skip dessert in favour of more wine. And that is a valid approach. But it also means you might miss out on Hunted & Gathered chocolate served with the tang of crème fraîche. And that would be a tragedy.
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In partnership with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
image credits: Supplied by venue
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Pat NoursePat Nourse is a writer, critic and editor with a passion for great bars.
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Drinks DirectoryMeal and a bevBarMelbourne – Inner NorthPet friendlyRestaurantOutdoor areaMelbourneDate nightCasual catch-up
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