Union Dining

The room is lovely. The food is assured and delicious. The wine approach is joyful and the service brilliant. Go. *Click send.* Oh, whoops, I just realised this isn't a tweet and I've still got 2000 characters to go! In that case, I'll settle back, Union Dining-style and ease into the tale.

Last winter, chef Nicky Riemer (Melbourne Wine Room, Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder) and her best buddy, front-of-house maestro Adam Cash (Cutler & Co, Ezard), fulfilled a long-standing ambition to open a restaurant together. Their approach is simpatico and the restaurant spills with appeal. The aesthetic is provincial European but it's the gentry, not the peasantry, that is channelled in the generous dining room, with its archways, bentwood seating, tiled floor and huge rug. (A rooftop terrace has just opened: hit the deck for chorizo skewers and spritzers.)

The little details are just so: there's a bespoke coaster for our carafe of rose; a gorgeous teapot; a ceramic baggage tag weighing down the bill; and pleasant toilets. You can't eat that stuff but when the accoutrements align with the overall approach, it's even easier to relax.

If a waiter tells you about a special with happy tears in his eyes, you tend to order it, so we had the terrine, which is tweaked weekly. Ours featured marinated veal and pork shoulder, duck liver and pickled cherries. Cognac, thyme and orange zest add top notes to the sweet, fatty meats, while prosciutto holds the masterpiece together. Acidic cut-and-thrust comes courtesy of pickled carrots and a witlof salad with sherry vinaigrette.

The balance is also just so in a southern Italian-style sardine dish: pan-fried fillets rested in vinegar and citrus marinade. A currant, feta and parsley salad adds a sweet, salty lift.

Some dishes come in two sizes and most are easy to share. Confit duck leg is picked from the bone, tossed with endives, toasted walnuts and mustard fruits and piled on baby lentils: it's restrained and luscious. The lamb abbacchio is a classic. Meat on the bone is gently braised and served simply with its juices. Oregano, green chilli and pecorino add lively twists and make a vain but valiant attempt to cut the richness.

The desserts are simple: there's chocolate tart with chocolate mousse and perfect strawberries on biscuity, buttery Breton cake. It's not rocket science but, like everything here, it's heartfelt, careful and wholly enjoyable. 

★★★★

UNION DINING
270-272 Swan Street, Richmond, 9428 2988
Licensed AE MC V eftpos
Fri-Sun, noon-3pm; Tues-Sat, 5pm-late
Entrees $12-$20.50; mains $25-$39; desserts $12-$16