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Navi
83b Gamon St, Yarraville
9939 9774

Sometimes there’s nothing sweeter than being proven wrong.

Earlier this year, when word got out about the opening of Navi – a 25-seater fine-dining restaurant on a dreary suburban street in Yarraville – many people were sceptical.

“Will people want a degustation menu in the west? Is a 25-seater too much of a risk? Will anyone actually find Navi as the frontage looks more like a drab office building than a place to eat?”

Turns out the naysayers had no reason to fret.

Navi, an intimate and refined restaurant that celebrates native Australian ingredients and flavours, has been causing heads to fall off (yours truly included) ever since it flung open its modest doors in July.

Navi (meaning ‘local’ in Cherokee) is the passion project of chef-owner Julian Hills, his first solo outing after manning the pans at Paringa Estate, who has literally got this hands dirty to get the place up and running.

Not only is Hills a maestro in the kitchen, he’s also a wizard on the pottery wheel; a fine arts student, Hills made all the impressive plateware with his bare hands.

The eight-course tasting menu will set you back $120 but it’s worth every cent, and unlike other establishments you won’t walk away hungry.

Hills’s menu changes as frequently as Melbourne’s weather in order to take advantage of local produce when it’s at its prime.

Expect delicate dishes like slow-cooked kangaroo tail, smoked with melaleuca and served with wild onion pearls and muntries; Golden Plains pork with pine nut and miso tapenade; and salted Murray cod tartare with a lemon aspen emulsion, buttermilk and wild fennel. Bush tucker at its finest.

Got a special occasion in 2019? A milestone birthday? An anniversary? Or just like getting gassed up on good wine and tasting some unforgettable food in a stunning setting? Then make sure Navi is placed near the top of your shortlist.

But make sure you plan ahead as tables are booked out for the next four months.

Perhaps it was all the festive cheer in the air but we left Navi full of merriment and mirth. Without adding even the slightest touch of mayo, I’d have to declare Navi my favourite dining experience of 2018.