The snores start before I even finish saying, “There’s a great wine bar in the inner-north I’m going to review.”
asserted
I → start → north
“Wine bar” has become a ubiquitous label in the past five years, to the point of being nearly useless.
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bar → become → point
You’ve got the expensive-fish-in-tins-for-dinner wine bar, the “we want it to feel casual but we’re cooking serious food” variety, and the vaguely Euro place that pours wine and saw a rebrand opportunity.
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that → get → opportunity
Co-owner Campbell Burton lives to unearth wines that kick-start conversations about moon cycles, wartime wine, French dogs and tractors.
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that → live → cycles
His import business already had a great reputation; then in 2021 he gifted Melbourne a place to drink the organic Margaret River shiraz and young Burgundy he’s loving.
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he → have → shiraz
Public’s first chef was Ali Currey-Voumard, a sparkling talent from Tasmania’s Agrarian Kitchen, whose unfussy, French farmhouse-style plates matched Burton’s magnetic all-organic wine list.
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plates → match → list
That was five head chefs ago, and now Jake Mayhew (ex-Etta in Brunswick East) is working the induction hob five days a week to give us more than Portuguese sardines on toast.
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Mayhew → work → toast
Metre for metre, Public has to be the hardest-working wine bar in Melbourne.
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Public → have → Melbourne
A bench runs along one wall of the skinny heritage shopfront; at the far end is the kitchen.
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kitchen → run → end
That might be a generous description – it’s a salamander and a dual cooktop – although Mayhew does have more space upstairs to prep before service.
uncertain
Mayhew → ’ → service
Somehow, he and another chef dispatch wagyu that eats like soft butter but roars with smoky flavour.
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that → dispatch → flavour
It’s happily stranded on a sea of salty-sour nam jim jaew, the Thai dipping sauce.
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It → strand → jaew
Your job is to save it, piece by piece.
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job → save → piece
A starchy side to balance the sauce’s bold flavours would be welcome (your only option is some Loafer bread or salad leaves) but did I mention this is a mouse-sized kitchen?
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this → balance → flavours
Fourteen bar stools fringe a long communal table that’s like the circuit board of the place, pulsing with energy.
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that → fringe → energy
Wine bottles fill one wall in an arrangement that subscribes to the colour-blocking theory.
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that → fill → theory
Locals walk in and browse by hue or grape – magnificent bottle-o to have nearby – and chirpy staff guide diners around the list using wine language that mortals can understand.
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mortals → walk → that
You want something minerally?
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You → want → something
And now you want a feather-light onion and cheddar gougere.
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you → want → gougere
Chase it with zucchini whose crunch is heightened by a cushion of hazelnut puree.
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crunch → chase → puree
Thick, fudgy boudin noir – blood sausage, made by Mayhew – rests like a top hat on crisp toast with pear chutney.
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noir → make → chutney
Bold, sweet, spiced, it’s like a one-bite postcard from Christmas Day.
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it → ’ → Day
Your visit could end there and no one would begrudge you the 40 minutes you occupied a stool.
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you → end → stool
But stay for dinner and see the good that can come in small packages.
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that → stay → packages
After the wagyu (a special I dearly hope reappears) or maybe an asparagus risotto, poached rhubarb with baked cardamom cheesecake wouldn’t be a bad move.
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I → hope → cheesecake
Or Mayhew’s apple pie: a sensory assault of heavily spiced cardamom custard, apples cooked till jammy, and shortcrust pastry that’s big, buttery and baked to a dark crunch.
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that → cook → crunch
I’m sure the team could find you just the right glass to go with it.
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team → ’m → it
Whether you come for a piece of fish or a piece of cheese, a happy hour-priced bottle or that rare label only Burton can get, Public proves the wine bar endures.
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bar → come → cheese
Stylish friend’s kitchen
Go-to dishes: Boudin noir ($6 each); cheese and onion gougere ($6 each); zucchini, hazelnut and basil ($25); asparagus risotto ($32)
Drinks: Serious selection of organic wines from all corners of the globe, brief list of simple cocktails, interesting beers from small-batch brewers
Cost: About $140 for two, excluding drinks
This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine.
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review → go → magazine
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently.
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reviews → book → ?
A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
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restaurant → pay → Guide
The Aporia
