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162-164 Commercial Road, Prahran, 9098 1155
My score: 3/5
So you know fried food is basically just steamed inside a crust? That’s why I am a connoisseur of the golden, crunchy, searingly hot and somewhat healthful fruit of the deep-fryer. Of course, fried isn’t always fab: clean oil at high temperature and watchful cooking are as important as the quality of the gear that’s dunked. Gramercy Bistro, the diner at the boutique Cullen Hotel, has some good fried dishes on its New York-style menu of sandwiches, salads, sliders, steak and ribs.
Jalapeno poppers are the most emphatic dish I tried: hot green chillies are stuffed with melty Monterey Jack cheese, then crumbed and fried, turning them into power-packed taste bombs. Spice-dusted chicken ribs are fried to a dark tan and served with creamy, peppery ranch dressing with grated celery. Because ribs are flat and slender (taken from the bone-in breast) they cook quickly: by the time the outer layer is crisp the meat is done, making for juicy bites with a good ratio of crispy bits to chicken meat, and a built-in bone handle.
Even I don’t live on fried food alone, so it’s lucky there are also soft-shell tacos slathered with smoky chipotle mayonnaise, then layered with black beans, corn, guacamole and tuna ceviche. They’re a fresh spring break. Cold dishes include a chopped salad that tasted like it had been chopped a little too long ago, and a decent rendition of a Waldorf salad with celery, apple, grapes and lovely candied walnuts. I was happy with the white chocolate cheesecake, formed into a sturdy little cone, and topped with crunchy crumbs. The Reuben sandwich might be 10,000 miles from its New York inspiration but it brought no shame to the honorable canon of Reuben. Housemade beef pastrami was the lynchpin of a towering rye bread construction with mustard, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and pickles. It’s a winner and, unlike some American versions, I could get my mouth around it.
As you’d expect from a hotel restaurant, Gramercy Bistro is a please-all-comers place, rolling from big breakfasts to cocktails, and both at once if you like. Hard surfaces make it noisy but there’s a sheltered terrace for aural relief (and celeb spotting). When you do a bit of everything it’s hard to do it all brilliantly but there’s plenty to like – fried or not – at this all-day wine-and-diner.
More fried food:
Gypsy and Pig, 391 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, 9640 0731
For those times when too much pig is barely enough, this restaurant specialises in Japanese-style pork dishes, especially the crumbed and fried fillets known as tonkatsu.
Meega, Glenway Arcade, 259 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley, 0413 154 168
It’s not flash but regulars love the Korean fried chicken at this unprepossessing little diner.
The Montague, 355 Park Street, South Melbourne, 9690 9044
The snack menu at this classy corner pub includes one of the world’s great drinking snacks: green olives stuffed with veal, then crumbed and fried.
First published in The Age, September 8, 2013
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