Jacqui Felgate reviews: The restaurant without a stove or oven!
A restaurant without a stove or an oven? Surely not!
Smith Street newcomer Flint is proving it can not only be done – but done well.
Chef and owner Nikki Morrison loves cooking with fire. The Flint kitchen is served by a single vertical fireplace, one half redgum logs, the other charcoal.
Nearly everything on the menu has a smokiness to it, whether it be charred, smoked or simply cooked over the flame.
The venue itself is northside grunge, entirely black walls, dark green leather bar stools and the open kitchen where you can chat to Flint’s tiny team of three and watch them work their magic.
We started with seeded sourdough and a bone marrow butter (I wanted a take home jar of the butter – it was delicious!) SA oysters with a mango mignonette proved a nice foil for the smokiness of our other course.
The standout dish for me was the burnt lettuce, pistachio and crumble. Chargrilled lettuce just ever so slightly wilted, topped with a savory pistachio cream and the crunch of the crumble.
Even a kingfish crudo is given a smoky update served alongside burnt cucumber.
Kangaroo loin carpaccio with beetroot cream and a nori lined rice cracker is insta-worthy, the skirt steak and smoked peppercorn sauce was another come-back-for dish.
Also on the menu, whole NZ flounder and duck breast with fermented capsicum. I almost felt like I was in someone’s home dining at Flint. Albeit a super cool one with no oven in sight.
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Pro tip: a seat at the bar is a must – watch the meat on the open fire and chat to the super friendly team!
See all of Jacqui’s past reviews HERE.
Flint
199 Smith St, Fitzroy
flintsmith.com.au