Pining for a pine-mushroom khachapuri? Or superbly textured smoked kingfish butterbrod, served with a delightfully tart pickled egg? Perhaps a rib-sticking savoury millet porridge sprinkled with caraway-forward kharcho salt? If for whatever reason you’ve not been hanging out for all this Eastern European deliciousness, a visit to chef Boris Portnoy’s superb, idiosyncratic Northcote diner will certainly change that. Located in a former solicitor’s office (Gray and Gray – they adopted the name and kept the decal), this stylish room – all timber, rippled glass, tiled floors and flattering lighting – offers dishes and techniques rarely seen in Melbourne. Think excellent flatbread served with “lumpy” butter and pickled green tomatoes, or parsnip dumplings with caramelised onion and yoghurt. Dessert, an impressive multi-layered honey cake, is equally fabulous. A deli fridge stocked full of ethically farmed wines both strange and wonderful only adds to Gray and Gray’s “not in Kansas anymore” allure.
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way. To learn more about the process, click here.
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Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide 2023
Our guide gives a yearly snapshot of the best restaurants to eat at right now. The best-rated restaurants, as judged by the reviewers’ first-hand experience, form our national Top 82.
