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Fog: 142 Greville Street, Prahran, 9521 3155
My score: 3.5/5
Long before Melbourne became a hotbed of fancy hotdogs, sliders (small burgers) and pulled (slow-cooked and shredded) meat, Fog chef Jeremy Sutphin was serving up American food at big, party-hard Fog. Sutphin came here from Dallas in 2006 when Fog opened and his menu reflects his south-western US background: part Texan twang and a little Californian lilt with the gaps filled by whatchamacallit Mod Oz.
At quiet times, Fog is a capacious and moody cave. Later in the week, nights are loud and raucous with a mix of dressed up drinkers and diners. The barkeeps’ biceps get a good workout, with the green chilli margarita among the many tasty ways to head towards wipeout. Sauvignon blanc is poured with abandon (there are four by the glass) and the large courtyard is a social mosh-pit. It’s smartphone central: I bet there are more Facebook updates from Fog on a Friday night than from a teenager’s bedroom.
Given the context, I’m surprised that the food and service are as good as they are. Rockling for the fish tacos is marinated in achiote (a spice paste made with Mexican annatto seeds), fried and served with black beans, charred tomato salsa, avocado spiked with jabanero and soft corn tortillas. It’s an easy winner. Empanadas (like little pasties) are made with masa (corn) flour making them soft and pliable; they’re stuffed with a fragrant and full-bodied vegetarian mix of mushrooms, goat cheese, coriander, cumin and chilli. They sit in a delicious creamy sauce of tomatoes smoked over mesquite wood.
There’s a generosity and depth to the food that’s particularly well-expressed in the barbecued chicken, served on the bone with layers of flavour. First the meat is marinated in pepper and garlic, then it’s grilled and basted with a more-or-less Texan barbecue sauce sweetened and spiced with tomato sauce, chipotle chillis, cumin, coriander and cloves. Just before it’s served the chicken is drenched in a bacon and brown sugar vinaigrette. I can’t even write that without salivating. The chicken is served with Texan-style potato salad, which means red potatoes, celery and spring onions glued together with mayonnaise and smooth mustard. Mediterranean dishes, such as linguine with Moreton bay bugs and bacon, are carefully executed but it feels like Sutphin’s heart is with his home country. Now that US food has popped onto the so-hot-right-now radar, perhaps Prahran’s punters will leave the linguine alone and cue the barbecue.
More American:
Belle’s Diner, 150-156 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, 9077 0788
Opened in mid 2012 on Restaurant Row, this diner is a hip take on the genre, with its booths, tiles, Hollywood lighting, and a menu that includes burgers, bagels, fried chicken and bean chilli.
The Merrywell, corner Clarendon Street and Crown Promenade, Southbank, 9292 7468
You know they’re working all the angles at this big, easygoing upstairs-downstairs restaurant because there’s a burger stuffed with fries. Amp it up further with root beer floats (vodka optional).
First published in The Age, October 7, 2012
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