Sunday Roast at Neighbourhood Wine, perfect for a lazy long Sunday lunch! A friend had come up with this genius idea and we were more than happy to make the trip across the city to the north side to sit down for a traditional roast in the company of good people.
Neighbourhood Wine is located in an old illegal casino. Apparently there is still an old gambling table from back in the days that is hidden under a table (unfortunately we didn't find it) and the old-school TVs in the walls were used as CCTV cameras back in the days to alert the gamblers of a police raid that was about to happen. This decor stills tell the story from the old days of underbelly mafiosi and cigars.
The whole bar has a cosy old-school feeling, there is an open fireplace with couches to relax and plenty of tables to enjoy a meal.
We all went for the $35 Sunday Roast Menu, which consisted of three courses. It started off with a Duck & Veal terrine, pickles and toast. The terrine was a classic dish well made, it was nice and juicy, the pickles added an extra touch of freshness and texture.
The terrine was followed by the main dish that we were here for: Beef tri-tip, Yorkshire pudding, roast fennel with chats and jus. I've never had roast fennel and wasn't quite sure I'd like it, but it was delicious. The meat was medium rare, nice and tender and there was enough sauce on the plate too (I hate it when there isn't enough sauce for the potatoes!). The meat also had a dollop of fresh horseradish on top, which was a great, spicy addition that cleared your nose. The serving sizes were perfect for a social Sunday lunch - we didn't feel too full afterwards but were very satisfied.
The dessert usually is Meringue, spice ice cream and rum syrup, but since I'm lactose intolerant they were kind enough to change it to an Apple Crumble. The ice cream did look good though and going by the other's judgement it was as good as it looked. My apple crumble was great! It was what you would expect when visiting your grandmother; fruity, buttery and a touch of vanilla.
We enjoyed a few bottles of red with our meal followed by a carafe of prosecco. Neighbourhood Wine actually have prosecco on tab! Pretty cool!
The whole experience was great, we'd definitely go back, the atmosphere was relaxed, the staff super friendly and the food was delicious. And we also still need to find that illegal gambling table! Bring on the next lazy Sunday lunch!
Neighbourhood Wine
Above Woodstock Pizzeria 1 Reid St (96 tram stops right at the corner) Fitzroy North, VIC 3068 Open Monday-Friday 5pm - 12am Saturday-Sunday 12pm - 12am www.neighbourhoodwine.com
