Von Haus

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Von Haus is a great addition to the lively mix of small businesses in Crossley Street. It’s a tiny place nestled in what was originally the home of Crossley the butcher, built in 1849. In fact, there’s a great deal of history in this building. The painter Eugene von Guerard also lived here at some point (hence Von Haus). The dining room emits a gentle and reflective mood, with a communal table taking centre stage, an old fireplace with flowers on the mantle, and attractively mottled walls that are the result of more than a century of paint colours, scrub downs and seals. Its cute and cosy interior makes it an excellent place to linger over lunch or a thoughtful snack, but when the sun sets Von Haus warms up its retro space for dinner or post-dining drinks.

The open kitchen provides enterprising salads, sandwiches, a hearty ploughman’s plate and a couple of hot dishes. Marinated olives or white anchovies with fennel and radishes are smaller sharing plates but if you want a meal all to yourself think pea and ham soup, or a fish pie with roasted fennel and salad greens. The cuisine is predominately French but dabbles in other European influences; however, there is an equal emphasis placed on both eating and drinking. The wine list is a lively mix of imports and Australian, with a well-chosen range of lesser known Spanish and Italian wines which complement the food beautifully. Check out the Victorian cider and perry, for something different. The coffee is very good too.

Rita Erlich