Charcoal Lane
136 Getrude Street
Fitzroy, Vic 3065
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I first visited Charcoal Lane in September last year. This white building used to be home of Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS).  I have shady memories of walking past  a prominent black, yellow and red coloured building almost everyday to and from Uni. And now it has become this white and somewhat majestic building. From the outside, one would never think that this is a restaurant. It will be good if there are big glass windows or glass doors to peer into this elegant looking restaurant.

Charcoal Lane

Charcoal Lane isn’t just any other restaurant, it is one with a mission. It’s set up by Mission Australia and they work in close partnership with the Victorian Government and the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service. It is a Social enterprise restaurant that provides a chance to disadvantaged Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal kids. The kitchen is lead by Damien Styles that has a impressive CV and a passion to give back to the community.

Part 1 – Lunch at Charcoal lane

All 6 of us at the table ordered the same entree – Smoked eel and john dory terrine, pickled cucumber salad and oyster fritter. This dish definitely went down very well with all of us. I love the subtle smokiness of the eel and the freshness of the whole dish. It is one of the more memorable dish in 2009 for me. I was a little disappointed that it is no longer on the menu.

I ordered the House-made parpadelle with a duck and (king) mushroom ragout. The pasta was so well made and silky thin. And I was really impressed with the olive oil used that I had to get details about it. It was called Yellingbo Gold extra virgin olive oil. I remembered that it was aromatic and fruity.

Matt (interstate blogger) was the only one that ordered the fish dish – Confit king salmon fillet, white asparagus, caper butter & herb salad. We all had a little taste of the beautifully and perfectly cooked fish.

Ed ordered the pumpkin gnocchi, fried sage, macadamia nut butter and saltbush. I remembered that he was very pleased with his dish and refused it to share with anyone else. There weren’t too many pieces to share and if it was that good, I wouldn’t share either.

fettuccine, smoked eel and dory, salmon

Part 2 – Dinner at Charcoal lane

After meeting @jetsettingjoyce at Nuffnang party in December last year, we decided to have dinner together in the new year. I quickly suggested Charcoal lane.  And after reading the raving review on The Age, I was very excited to check out the new menu.

The meal started with a complimentary amuse bouche of tomato gazpacho. It was seriously refreshing and I wondered if the same olive oil that I love so much was used in this dish. I love it! It was a round table nod of approval.

Amuse bouche - Tomato gazpacho

We ordered a selection of appetisers to share. Spiced prawns have always been a personal favourite. I didn’t think it needed the chilli dip but it is a personal preference. It would have been great with beer and in my case, cider. The idea of the popcorn was more of a fun thing to have. The  marinated Saluté olives is my personal favourite. I thought it was very interesting and somehow reminded me of Chinese preserved fruits. The bush herb marinate was not at all overpowering and actually enhanced the flavour of the olives.

Selection of appetitsers

@jetsettingjoyce and I ordered the native peppered kangaroo fillet, shallot and bush tomato tart with rosella jus. This piece of meat is best ate rare. It was very tender and well cooked piece of meat. The rosella jus was so well balanced. Slightly tangy with the right amount of sweetness. And the shallots just brought the whole dish together. The only criticism that we had we wished that it was served a little warmer.

native peppered kangaroo fillet, shallot and bush tomato tart with rosella jus

Mister and Ms I ordered the roast pork loin, compressed apple, davidson plum sauce and crackling. The whole table gasped with delight when the first plate of sous vide of roast pork loin was served to the table. The pink blush of meat that is super tender and juicy. And this was one of the best crackling I have in Melbourne. The amount of sauce is perfect and worked so well with everything on the dish. The compressed apple had a nice sweet tang, the plum provided the sweetness and the crackling provided the x factor for this dish.

roast pork loin, compressed apple, davidson plum sauce and crackling

Mr. T and Ms V ordered the pumpkin gnocchi with macadamia nuts, fried sage, pepitas and saltbush. This is a dish that has been kept on the menu since the last time I was here. It is a good dish. This is one of the few places that actually does good gnocchi. It is not soggy. It had good deep flavour. And it makes you want more of it. A very simple and effective vegetarian dish to have on the menu.

macadamia nuts, fried sage, pepitas and saltbush

Mr. A ordered the john dory, smoked eel brandade, pickled samphire and candied pancetta. I only had a tiny bite of john dory and it was cooked very well. I should order this the next time if it is still on the menu.

john dory, smoked eel brandade, pickled samphire and candied pancetta

Not everyone on the table were having dessert so @jetsettingjoyce and I decided to share the dessert platter. I love to say I liked the dessert but in comparison with the rest of the meal and dishes, it fell short. The presentation is stunning. I loved the attention to detail and the fun that the chef (I think) is trying to inject into his desserts. My least favourite was the raspberries, rosella flowers and vanilla custard. I did not understand the dish. Mister ordered this plate of dessert as well and found it too tart. Maybe more custard or sweetness to the dish might make it better? The apple and olive oil cake definitely stood out amongst the rest. The cake was moist and just perfect sweetness.

Dessert platter

I was glad that I had the opportunity to have a chat with the Head Chef, Damien Styles, after dinner. He is so passionate about the work and kids. And I hope they know how lucky they are to be able to learn from him. Gosh! I wish  had the opportunity to spend one day in his kitchen as well. I sincerely hope that more social enterprises will be set up to give the disadvantaged a chance to find a place in this society.

Are there social enterprises that you know of in your area and how do they contribute to the community?