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14.5/20Critics' Pick

Gerald’s Bar

Inside Gerald’s Bar 2.0, in the former Enoteca Sileno site.
1 / 9Inside Gerald’s Bar 2.0, in the former Enoteca Sileno site.Eddie Jim
Spaghetti with mussels.
2 / 9Spaghetti with mussels.Eddie Jim
Gerald’s barflies might recognise some of the knick-knacks.
3 / 9Gerald’s barflies might recognise some of the knick-knacks.Jason South
Raw snapper with cultured cream.
4 / 9Raw snapper with cultured cream.Eddie Jim
Bonito with sauce vierge.
5 / 9Bonito with sauce vierge.Eddie Jim
The bar area of Gerald’s Bar  2.0.
6 / 9The bar area of Gerald’s Bar 2.0.Jason South
Beetroot showered in mimolette cheese.
7 / 9Beetroot showered in mimolette cheese.Eddie Jim
Honey madeleines with hazelnut cream.
8 / 9Honey madeleines with hazelnut cream.Eddie Jim
The courtyard and its grape vine canopy.
9 / 9The courtyard and its grape vine canopy.Eddie Jim
14.5/20Critics' Pick

Gerald's Bar

European$$

One of Melbourne’s defining wine bars dials up the deliciousness in big new digs.

The ephemera are familiar, the owners are the same, the olives and anchovies and free crusty bread are still on offer. It was Rathdowne Street’s capital of cool for 19 years, but this big, new iteration is a dramatic contrast to the original. You can absolutely still come here for meats and cheeses and tinned fishies, but the rest of the offering is better than ever.

Matthew Podbury’s menu marks a departure from the Spanish-leaning bent of the past, his experience in French fine dining showing up under a glistening bonito fillet in the form of a herbaceous sauce vierge. Golden beetroot is sliced thin and showered with vibrant orange mimolette cheese.

Hand-extruded spaghetti, dotted with shelled mussels and bathed in a cider-based sauce, packs more flavour than its simple ingredients imply. The wine list hasn’t changed much, and there are still plenty of people who will lead you through its vast riches to a genuine bargain. Plenty to love at Gerald’s 2.0.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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Default avatarBesha Rodell is the chief restaurant critic for The Age and Good Weekend.

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