Why this jailhouse rocks: North & Common brings mod-Oz cooking to a former prison canteen

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We should begin by addressing the bluestone elephant in the room. Dining at North & Common makes that unavoidable because you’re actually inside the elephant – the former Pentridge Prison in Coburg. The building has baggage.

Sure, there’s a certain dark glamour to be had from Pentridge’s association with names like Chopper Reed and Squizzy Taylor. But there’s also the decidedly non-glam fact of more than a century of sometimes brutal incarceration before the prison was decommissioned in 1997. Deciding to dine here kind of comes down to whether you believe a space – like an inmate – can be rehabilitated.

North & Common is a pretty strong argument for rehabilitation. It doesn’t shy from its past – in the attached Olivine Wine Bar you can peruse a 500-plus label wine list on a velvet couch in a former prison cell – but nor does it choose to emphasise or fetishise it.

The dining room’s design does some immediate and effective recontextualising work. Pentridge’s signature hefty bluestone walls and the 10-metre-high trussed ceiling of what was once the prisoner canteen are now the backdrop to a large, cleverly divided space hung with designer light fittings casting a flattering glow.

There are soothing pale timber finishes, dusty pink upholstery, gentle green accents. There’s the sound of cocktails being shaken, a flash of flame from the kitchen. The room is warm, even cosy, on a chilly night. It’s the very picture of a modern Australian dining room landed in an imposing heritage space.

The menu follows that line. Chef Mark Glenn, whose CV includes Cumulus Inc. and Dinner By Heston, understands the sweet spot that Melbourne does so well, folding fine-dining elements and luxury ingredients into an elegantly casual context. There is attention to detail across the list, starting with top-grade oysters ($6 each) and cultured butter (whipped in-house and stamped with the restaurant’s logo) that arrives with excellent sourdough bread from Yarraville bakery Cobb Lane ($2 a head).

There’s attention, too, in a dish of thinly shaved calamari ($26) gently poached in butter to slippery, silky loveliness. It’s teamed with pan-fried, slightly caramelised Brussels sprouts, crisp-fried shallots and a citrusy hollandaise-like emulsion that emphasises the texture of the calamari ribbons while also adding some gentle acidity. The dish is finished with a sprinkle of deep-red Aleppo pepper that brings a little fruity warmth and contrasting colour drama.

Similarly effective is the grilled ox tongue ($24), which lands in a flower-like shape on a bed of fresh herbs. The entwined slivers of tongue have been pickled and then poached in stock before hitting the grill with flavour and texture both benefiting from the meticulous prep. Cashew cream adds richness, and a sunflower pesto texture, and subtle acidity, and demonstrates Glenn’s fine sense of balance.

Unless you have an aversion to shellfish, don’t miss the spanner crab risoni ($42). It’s a dish both elegant and comforting, thanks not only to superb quality crab meat but to the perfectly cooked risoni and a well-adjusted crustacean emulsion that avoids the familiar trap of being overly astringent, instead opting for well-rounded flavour by mixing shellfish stock with cream. There’s lemon zest, chives and tarragon in the mix, too. Delightful.

More good times arrive with a juicy flame-grilled spatchcock teamed with fermented chilli ($44), and with a Valrhona chocolate dessert ($22), moist enough that it sits somewhere between cake and pudding. It’s accompanied by an excellent sesame caramel and topped with aerated chocolate ice-cream, like delicate honeycomb that dissolves on contact with your tongue.

Deciding to dine here comes down to whether you believe a space – like an inmate – can be rehabilitated.

Attention to detail isn’t just the realm of North & Common’s kitchen. The drinks list is similarly thoughtful, including house cocktails from the “modern twist on classic” school. The potential car crash of a Mediterraneo Martini ($23) – truffle-infused gin, sun-dried tomato liqueur and white vermouth – turns out to be a subtle delight, properly chilled, the oddball flavours whispering not shouting.

Sommelier Liinaa Berry has assembled a fresh, smart collection of labels that will delight fans of classically made Old World wines and funky minimal-intervention numbers alike. She’s also kept a keen eye on price with plenty of good stuff – Mornington Peninsula pinot gris, German riesling, Tasmanian pinot noir – well under the $100 mark.

Some may not be able to stomach the location of North & Common. Others will see a fresh start. Either way, there’s plenty to like and an impressive team working effectively to create a new story for the bluestone elephant.