[content_slider]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[/content_slider]
MELBOURNE | Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie is the latest venture to open from Melbourne’s restaurateur who can seem to do no wrong, Scott Pickett. We all know about Pickett’s high standards and excellent food from our experiences at St Crispin, ESP and Estelle Bistro, so what’s he doing at Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie that’s different? We were invited to the launch and went along to find out.
We’ve always wished that Queen Victoria Market had more quality dining establishments. The produce at the market is fantastic and while there are a lot of producers selling their wares and a few eat-in food places around, there’s always been a lack of establishments in the vein of those dine in destinations you find at London’s Borough Market or Barcelona’s Mercat de La Boqueria. With Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie, Pickett has aimed to create “a New York Deli with a splash of Paris”, and with the help of interior designers Hirsch Bedner Associates, we think he’s succeeded.
The 36 seat venue is dark and casual, with a large communal table providing most of the dining space along with some stools along the windows. Perhaps it’s the heritage building, but the entire place feels like somewhere that’s been in the spot for much longer than a month. The venue operates from breakfast through to the evenings depending on the day of the week, and defies categorisation as it’s not a cafe, restaurant or bar but a kind of combination of all three. The relevance of the “deli” part of the name is apparent when you see the back wall which is full of shelves stocked with an assortment of products to buy and take away.
With on-site access to some of the best produce in Melbourne, head chef Aaron Brodie (who has come over from Estelle Bistro) makes good use of what’s good and fresh on the day. Oysters, charcuterie and the like are available to enjoy with wine, craft beer or cocktails. If it’s something more substantial you’re after, there are things like crumbed lamb brains with leeks and sauce diable, pulled pork and chutney sliders, and gnocchi with prawn mayonnaise. The pulled pork when we visited was outstanding, with melt in your mouth fat, tender meat and crispy crackling. It got all of our tastebuds fired up. Something we’ve not yet tried but really want to get back to eat is the smoked bacon and brown sauce roll – we’ve been told it’s divine.
One thing that’s always guaranteed to be on the menu is the tasty rotisserie chicken. An impressive rotisserie can be seen behind the main counter and on it are slowly roasting free-range Bannockburn and Milawa chickens along with some of the other meats on offer. We’ve tried the shredded roast chicken roll with crispy chicken skin and a bit of mayonnaise and it’s fantastic. Keep an eye out for the daily rotisserie special, which gets you a roll filled with what’s good and roasting on the day for $10.00 – a bargain given the quality of the ingredients.
Coffee is from Duke’s Coffee Roasters and brewed using a shiny new La Marzocco espresso machine while beer comes from a range of craft breweries across the country like Feral and Bridge Road Brewing. The wine list, which has been put together by ESP sommelier James Dossan, features a good selection of interesting drops from all over the world.
Whether you want a proper feed, a snack, or just a drink or a coffee, Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie has all of the bases covered. Another home run from Scott Pickett, and a place we’ll certainly be returning to.
Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie
507 Elizabeth Street
Melboourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Telephone: (03) 9328 3213
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.pickettsdeli.com/
Open
Sun – Wed: 7:00am to 3:00pm
Thu – Sat: 7:00am to late