There’s no doubt about it…Interlude is fine dining. The service was perfect. Friendly and refined. Renald, the restaurant’s very knowledgeable sommelier who hails from France selected an impeccable array of wines to go with each course of our tasting menu and answered all our questions with eloquence.

The chef did things with vegetables and soy for my vegetarian palette that were not only surprising, but delicious and beautifully presented. Each large white plate was like a canvas- carefully composed with thoughtful attention to color, shape, form and texture. It is clear that executive Chef Robin Wickens thinks outside the box. The contemporary French cuisine that his kitchen creates was both innovative and delicious. I’m no restaurant critic, but I can say that I have never had a vegetarian meal with flavors quite like that.

Walking by Interlude on the hip and fashionable stretch of Brunswick Street, you may not realize what a treasure lies inside! If you happen to pass by, you must stop in.

The exterior of the restaurant:

They have a fabulous selection of cognac:

Cookie dessert with lavender (I think?- I didn’t get to try this one):

They have a small collection of specially blown glass carafes for their wine:

I tried the (garlic?) foam that accompanied this fish dish and loved it!


Interlude
211 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy, VIC
Australia
T: +61 3 9415 7300

Stuffed Olive Antipasto:


Strawberry dessert:

Sardine antipasto:

Bombe Alaska…a meringue covered scoop of ice cream. Amazing!

Becco’s signature Campari Cocktail:

The restaurant is on a cute cobblestone side street in the downtown area:

I love an exposed kitchen!


Chefs:

Becco
11-25 Crossley Street
Melbourne, VIC
Australia
T: (03) 9663 3000

Also, I learned on Wikipedia that the roof of the market is equipped with “the largest urban grid-connected solar photovoltaic installation in the Southern Hemisphere”, generating 252,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. These Aussies are very forward thinking on the eco-front.

At the market, you can get anything from kangaroo belt buckles to lychee fruit, and they also have entire areas dedicated to organic foods and wine. There are butchers, cheese mongers, jewelers, gourmet shops, handicrafts etc. It reminds me of both the Souk in Jerusalem and the Reading Market in Philly, and I imagine it’s similar to what New Amsterdam Public envisions for the old Fulton Fish Market site in lower Manhattan.

We spent about 45 minutes walking around, and it was clearly not enough….I’ll undoubtedly be back before I leave town!

There are all kinds of funny little wordy differences here:

‘capsicum’ means ‘ bell / chili pepper’
how are you going? = how are you doing?
long black = regular coffee
opportunity shop = thrift shop
rocket = arugula
barrack = root (I barrack for the Mets)
corriander = cilantro (can you pick me up a fresh bunch of corriander?)
lemonade = Sprite or 7up (if you want a ’7 & 7′, order a ‘lemonade and 7′)

But one of my favorites is the “Jam Doughnut” (jelly here means “jello”). Doughnut trucks on the street in Melbourne during the winter are like Mr. Frosty trucks in NYC in the summer. It’s cold here now, so it’s quite a treat to stroll up to a truck and get a warm little round goodie to sink your teeth into. These little sugar coated gems are filled with berry jam and are about $1 each (or 6 for $5). Delicious!