Roxborough

Fitzrovia’s Paul Jewson and Marco Pugnaloni have brought a slice of London’s old school lux to Acland Street with their new venture, Roxborough. The new venue pays homage to Jewson’s flamboyant mentor UK living legend Johnny Roxburgh; party architect and bespoke caterer to celebrities including Nigella Lawson and The Queen.
 
Roxborough bar and restaurant is a glowing testimony to the man himself - buzzing with a chic, warm and approachable vibe.

The menu boasts rustic Mediterranean fare that focuses on seasonal ingredients and is crafted by head chef and business partner Christian Byrne. Byrne’s culinary world has been founded working in some of the most eclectic and institutional seafood restaurants of Long Island, NY and New England, learning the dark arts of the lobster boil, crab cakes, clam strips and the raw bar.

To match the food, the wine list (created with assistance from Moondarra’s pinot noir prince Neil Prentice) features 50 wines predominantly from Europe and Australasia and focus not only on old world classics, but individual new world trends and interesting blends.

The interior pays homage to the history of the St Kilda Army & Navy Club, a classic 1920s art deco building, with original ornate empire style friezes and stucco plasterwork, white terrazzo, limed American oak and white tile details.

We loved tasting our way through the menu.

To start the plump chargrilled Queensland king prawns were expertly cooked in garlic and smoked paprika butter. Similarly delicious was the dish of octopus leg. The octopus was incredibly tender while retaining a robust structure courtesy of being expertly cooked. The accompanying charred bullhorn peppers, persillade and saffron aioli were well-seasoned and delivered a luxurious salinity and also enhanced the flavours of the octopus.

For mains, Roxborough's twice cooked Milawa half free range chicken diavolo served with spring peas took the humble chicken roast to a new level. The chicken was sensational - beautifully tender and wonderfully flavoursome with the stunning tarragon chicken jus a very, very welcome addition.

The chargrilled 400gr pasture fed Gippsland Entrecôte on the bone with bone marrow butter, roasted spring garlic and silver beet puree was again, delicious. Cooked to perfection, the beef was well seasoned and retained a juicy, tender consistency throughout. It was a true testament of the quality of the meet sourced.

Fitzrovia's iconic polenta chips make an appearance on the Roxborough's list of side dishes. Far from being just a side dish, denied due love and attention, these were a welcome deviation from the norm with each individual chip deep fried to perfection to achieve a crunchy golden skin and a fluffy centre. The coating of truffled parsley and parmesan was exquisite in taste and an ideal match for the chips. Delicious.

For those of you with a sweet tooth desserts at Roxborough are a must. We highly recommend the yoghurt pannacotta with roasted yellow peaches, honeycomb and rosemary. A texturally perfect rendition, the pannacotta was silky smooth. 

With a focus on honest southern European cuisine, Roxborough is an exciting expansion of St Kilda darling, Fitzrovia, that enlivens the eclectic St Kilda dining and bar scene.

Location: 88 Acland Street, St Kilda
Phone: 03 9537 3819
Link: www.roxborough.com.au