Things are looking pretty good in Richmond, the inner-city suburb seems to be on the rise as a culinary destination as a slew of new openings from Jeow (formerly Anchovy) to the fully-revamped Kingston Hotel continue to pop up.
Perched on a sleepier stretch of Swan Street which chef Charley Snadden-Wilson (The Moon, Etta, Embla) has affectionally dubbed 'the Paris end', Clover Vin de Cave is a neighbourhood-friendly 48-seat wine bar and diner from two of Melbourne's top hospitality talents. Led by Charley and wine bar-virtuoso Lyndon Kubis (The Moon, Toorak Cellars, Milton Wine Shop), together the pair have carved out their very own take on the French wine den.
The collective experience and knowledge from the duo is something that they've poured straight into Clover, "everything is just really thoughtfully and carefully prepared in terms of the food and the wine we're putting in people's glasses," says Charley.
The kitchen is centred around a brick open fire grill and oven, with dishes drawing upon French influences with a modern Australian take—which Charley recognises is a strange thing to admit as a New Zealand-born chef. In lieu of grilling across large flames and high-heat scorched dishes, Charley alongside sous chef, Shem Fitiao opt for a more controlled style of cooking, utilising the ambient heat and the flavours of the smoke that spill out.
A staple of Clover is its honey bread which Charley describes as part sourdough part Shokupan, a fluffy 24-hour fermented dough that is baked to perfection and designed to dunk readily into a herb de Provence butter. Larger dishes take shape with simple yet clever combinations like a dry-aged pork chop with buttermilk and grilled lettuce—letting the quality of produce from local suppliers and farms shine.
On the wine front, the majority of the list is a collection of Australian, French and Italian drops and the team is there to lead you through the steps, whether that be a full pairing or just a couple of bottles. "It's not meant to be a scary overwhelming thing, it's supposed to be enjoyable, we're there to be able to facilitate in any capacity and spend time with the guests", says Charley. Clover is open now, head over here for more info.
Check out all the new openings in Melbourne here.
Image credit: Ben Moynihan (supplied)