Eau de Vie

Ah, Chapel Street, an urban conundrum threaded through my Melbourne story evermore. I've lined up at your nightclubs, bought silly trousers in your boutiques, walked home with a sloshy bag of goldfish from your pet shop. Many is the time I've cursed your seedy trams, hotted-up hoons and cyclist-smashing traffic. I've also glowed with love for your fab fashion, your Special Cake Shop spanakopitas and your sparkly $2 Shop junk. Now I'm also a bit glow-glow for Eau de Vie, a small year-old operation that does a nice job of segueing from daytime coffee stop to afternoon snackery and, four nights a week, morphs more into night-time eating house then late-night bar. At every step along that path, it does things in a welcoming and classy way.

The menu is nicely targeted and well priced. It's headed ''tapas'', but the dishes touch on French, Greek and Italian cuisine as well as Spanish. Presentation is delicate and pleasing, flavours are punchy and occasionally intriguing. Pickled anchovies on delicate palm heart slices slathered with a reduced vinegar glaze are a lovely balance of sharp and sweet.

The ham hock and pea croquette is so sticky it briefly glued my jaw shut, but I was happy to shaddap my face and enjoy its rich, salty loveliness. There's a rethinking of saganaki (fried kefalograviera cheese) that I reckon could be rethought once more: the chunks of cheese are chewy rather than melted and gooey, but I loved the accompanying pickled vegetable salad. Rare is the Melbourne restaurant not doing kingfish carpaccio. Eau de Vie's version is amped up with kaffir lime leaf oil, which is enlivening but teeters on the edge of overpowering. I'd order it again.

Larger dishes include straightforward spinach gnocchi and tasty sliced porterhouse with parmesan and fresh horseradish dressing. I love the fat, crisp, house-made churros with their poached strawberry and chocolate bath.

One of the nice things about Eau de Vie is those over 30 need not feel out of place. It's amenable and welcoming, cosy but open to the street, with clever cut-away timber panelling that reveals the kitchen. The waiters are friendly and knowledgeable, though sometimes there's more bustle than service, especially as the bar vibe takes over in the evening. Amenable and tasteful, Eau de Vie is one of Chapel Street's redeeming features.

★★★1/2

Eau de Vie
233 Chapel Street, Prahran, 9510 0955
Licensed AE MC V eftpos
Sunday-Tuesday, 8am-5pm; Wednesday to Saturday, 8am to late
Breakfast, $6-$18; lunch, $6-$15; dinner, $4-$30