PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAThe building that Attica calls home was originally a bank, but a wave of the magic wooden spoon has transformed it into a contemporary restaurant. The decor leans towards a more subtle sense of style with neutral shades of brown, olive and white with plush banquettes that seem to swallow you up. The tables are devoid of cutlery, with only a small dish of salt sitting upon each one – knives, forks and spoons arrive after you have ordered, as does sourdough bread and some delicious creamy butter.
The food at Attica is among Melbourne’s most ingenious, where traditional flavours embrace cutting edge culinary technology. Each dish is beautifully presented, and for the most part, the food has flavour rather than bulk. An entree of two slices of radish, one white, one beetroot-stained, are topped with freshly picked crab-meat and tuna and garnished with the unexpected crunch of puffed rice. There are also more conventional dishes, like the spice-crusted shoulder of lamb on a fine puree of parsnip, topped with silverbeet, pine nuts, currants and shanklish. The waiters are switched on, knowledgeable and fast-moving. The kitchen moves quickly too, so it’s unlikely you’ll be waiting for an hour between courses. On Tuesdays, there’s an obligatory fixed-price five-course menu, and on Saturday nights the full degustation at $110 is compulsory but in this case you’ll be happy to do (or eat) what you’re told.
Rita Erlich, April 2008
