LOCATIONNorth Melbourne
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAYou won’t find this restaurant in any food guides and you’ll wonder why, once you have been charmed by this gentleman. It could easily be mistaken for a private residence on Queensberry Street rather than a daytime restaurant. Peering through the windows, it has all the appearances of a private house decorated in an esoteric flourish of books, furniture and art pieces. The sign on the window only adds to the confusion, although there are no contact details or hours of opening. But open it is, but only for lunch. And yes, there is a Mr Price: he is a most gracious host.
The menu changes daily and the dishes on offer vary according to what’s good at the local Queen Victoria Market and what the chef feels like cooking. Greg Price (Mr Price) has over thirty years experience in the hospitality industry and runs a separate catering business from this, his home and residence. The daily menu normally includes a soup such as a lima bean and vegetable stock; a beef burgundy-style casserole (cooked on Saturday for Monday’s lunch); a vegetarian dish (today it is a mild Thai curry) and a truly memorable, smoked trout pate served with salad and toast. Mr Price works alone, moving around his dining room greeting old friends and regulars. The experience is truly warm and very rare.
Fiona Symington