Gills Diner – CBD Melbourne

Date: Tuesday 22nd December 2009

Restaurant: Gills Diner

Address: Gills Alley, rear of 360 Little Collins Street, Melbourne CBD

Phone: 03 9670 7214

Commentary : Sarah Andrew

The more I dine out and pay close attention to the ambience, menu and other customers, the more I realise that some reviews will be short and sweet. This is one such review.

I had the pleasure last year of dining in the evening at Gills Restaurant, and the trade contacts I was with concluded that it was an excellent night out. This time I was partaking in a Christmas lunch with good friends.

For those of you who are yet to discover Gills Diner, the venue presents as one of those Melburnian gems, tucked down a lane way and quite humble on approach. Once inside however the unique nature of the premises unfolds. The dining room is like no other in Melbourne.

There is an industrial feel about the place with aspects of a modern diner. A commercial bakery is attached. A huge blackboard on one wall takes care of the menu, whilst the wine list is offered promptly to each table. Specials are introduced with confidence and passion, making one think that they have all been sampled by the waiter attending our table.

The menu has a European flair to it, offering non fuss French and Italian cuisine. Produce is supplied largely by smaller local producers, and the wine list clearly promotes boutique wineries and local breweries with a slant towards Victoria and Tasmania.

We started our lunch with a bottle of Iron Pot Bay Blanc de Blanc 2005 from the Tamar Valley (Tasmania).

I selected the trio of antipasto consisting of:

Smoked eel croquettes with Aioli

Serrano ham with rockmelon & a rocket salad

Pan fried saganaki with lemon & cracked pepper

A bottle of Principia Pinot Noir 2006 (Mornington Peninsula) was selected to accompany the food. Despite believing I was ravenous, I struggled to finish my meal. The flavours and textures were simply delightful, however somewhere along the way I must have lingered too long and the edge to my appetite disappeared. This was overcome with assistance from my luncheon companions who readily offered their assistance to finish my meal!

My summary of this venue would be vibrant, busy, noisy (but not too much so) and quite understated. Very worthy of a One Chef’s Hat in The Age Good Food Guide 2010, and credit must be given to Lazlo Evenhuis (manager and wine buyer) as he truly deserves the award of Best Short Wine List in The Age Good Food Guide 2010.

The venue is open Mon – Fri for lunch, Tues – Fri from lunch through to dinner and Saturday for dinner only. I would strongly recommend booking as this venue is always abuzz.