I started a new job when I got back from my holiday, so I'm now one of those people who work in the city. Yey! Access to new shops and restaurants is very exciting. My credit card is a bit scared, but I'm very excited.
The other week I had a lunch date with a friend, and her lovely 7 month old daughter at the European. The European is located on Spring St, next to the Princess Theatre. It's a moody little place – a long narrow dining room, black and white chequered floor, and dark wood panelled walls. As we were toting a pram, we were seated at the front of the room which meant a bit more natural light for pictures. Grand.
Freshly shucked oysters - slurp
We started with one of the day's specials – freshly shucked oysters. These were served with a little dish of a vinegary sauce. They were very hard to eat gracefully with the little garnish on top. Good thing we weren't trying to impress! The oysters were fresh and sweet.
Manchego and fig salami
We shared another starter – Manchego with fig "salami". Manchego is a sheep's milk cheese from Spain (as I have discovered). The slightly salty, creamy cheese was lovely with the fig (and on bread, and by itself).
Fish soup
I then had the fish soup with aioli. This was fish, prawn, clam, mussel, and a scallop surrounded by a tomato based broth. The seafood came out in the bowl by itself, and then the broth was poured on top. It was slightly tangy and seafoody. I also got some toast, which you can see in the background.
The food was presented nicely and the other plus were the little touches. For example, the lemon half that came with the oysters was wrapped in muslim to prevent lemon seeds from falling in. There was nice bread with a good quantity of garlic aioli. And the staff didn't bat an eyelid when cutlery and napkins got thrown to the floor or when my friend's lovely little daughter got a bit grizzly because she needed a nap. Thankfully it was fairly lively (noisy) in there so we didn't seem to disturb other diners.
This might be an ongoing series. My friend has gone overseas but we have a lunch date for January when she returns. It's my choice of restaurant this time; recommendations of good eating places around the top end of the city would be welcome (as long as they're pram friendly!).
The European
161 Spring St, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9654 0811
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