Pomme

Mietta's Eating & Drinking in Melbourne 2000

Contributors' Choice
Page 18

Just over a year since opening its doors, Pomme has settled into South Yarra, with chef Jeremy Strode and partner Chris Young taking stock and making changes. They have streamlined the menu, keeping the best of the year's fare and broadened the wine list. Young will adventurously match a dry sherry to ocean trout (it works), and Pomme's own suggestions for accompanying wines are featured on the dessert menu. Strode and Young agree that naivete may have played a part in Pomme's first rocky six months. In their enthusiasm for opening their own establishment they forgot an essential psychological truth: dishes costing over $30, however succulent, can alienate customers (in Melbourne where overall prices are too low for the quality). So now Pomme has trimmed the prices (slightly), but not the quality. Each dish is prepared with Strode's genius for creativity - artistic European cuisines, with a strong French influence, the ingredients subtly balanced. The menu is a fish-lovers delight, and autumn specialities feature game such as partridge, venison and hare. Service is brisk but friendly, the music unobtrusive. Some critics have baulked at the minimalist decor of blanched walls, jet chairs and flooring and some say that the room is cold, but as Pomme aficionados will tell you, the true colour and warmth lies in the food.

37 Toorak Road
South Yarra
Melways reference 2L:F5
Phone: 9820 9606
Opening hours: 7 days Lunch: Sun- Fri 12 noon-2.30pm. Dinner: Mon-Sat 6.30-10.30pm
Licensed
Some credit cards accepted
Seats Inside: 65
Features: Restricted smoking, private rooms seats 40
Favourites: Fillets of red mullet with seven mediterranian flavours $16.50, Roasted bay schnapper with chargrilled calamari, risotto of its ink and a salad of watercress $28, Pot roasted grey leg partridge with pommes rosti, red cabbage, brandy & apples $36

A 1999 interview (and recipes) with chef, Jeremy Strode and a review of his current restaurant langtons.