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Punch Lane

Dani Valent
Dani Valent

Punch Lane.
Punch Lane.Supplied

European$$$

43 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, 9639 4944
Licensed AE DC MC V eftpos

Mon-Fri noon-3pm, 5.30-10.30pm; Sat 5.30-10.30pm; Sun 5.30-9.30pm

Entrees $5-$24; mains $20-$52; desserts $15

★★★☆

When Punch Lane opened 17 years ago, the Melbourne diningscape was different indeed. Tapas were only eaten in Spanish restaurants. Eating from a food truck suggested souvlaki in a King Street gutter. Much has changed and thank goodness for that. Punch Lane, however, is satisfyingly same-same.

The dining room is a timbered den with leather accents and wine-bottle lining. Candles and armchairs suggest intimate conversations and lost afternoons. Yet theatregoers can trust Punch Lane to turf them out in time for the overture. The classy, trend-immune atmosphere hasn't precluded innovation under original owner Martin Pirc. A clever, congenial pavement dining area was constructed in the mid-noughties and a shiny, expanded kitchen is now home to newish chef Luke Croston.

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The food is contemporary Mediterranean with occasional Asian and Middle Eastern inflections. Most entrees and mains come in two sizes, encouraging sharing. Prices are fair. I would order anything on the menu - it all sounds great. Prawn ''bonbons'' were blanketed in pastry, fried and dusted with chilli salt to create a good, straightforward snack. A joyously comforting entree cassoulet was made with slow-cooked beef short rib, chorizo and white beans under golden garlicky crumb. Rolled, roasted veal shoulder was robust and tender, resting on Puy lentils with a light hazelnut dressing.

Not everything was rapturous. The rice in a mud crab risotto was of lovely texture, every grain distinct and the starches creamy, but there was very little evidence of seafood. Roast kingfish was served on cool, bland potato salad.

Punch Lane has long been at the forefront of Melbourne's cheese-platter culture; excellent local and European cheese is available in 25-gram and 50-gram portions. A Welsh blue and nutty gruyere were presented with simple respect alongside rustic crackers, toast and pear.

We were welcomed so warmly, I felt snuggled in a hospitality doona. That feeling ebbed and flowed as excellent service was interspersed with over-zealous plate-clearing and unattended empty glasses - devastating when the wine list is so great. Despite its minor imperfections, Punch Lane's intrinsic warmth and spirit was the overriding impression. It's a Melbourne treasure.

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