JULIET ATE HERE | receipt no. 5 — gerald's bar, carlton
RECEIPT No. 5
Gerald’s Bar, Carlton North
(A NIGHT, well spent)
For this week’s Adventure Friday, Sam and I tried something new. A rule: If we were to leave Melbourne tomorrow, which place would we regret not going to?
That’s how we chose Gerald’s.
Neither of us had been, but it’s one of those iconic places, EST. 2006, the kind that’s not on every list, but everyone who knows, knows.
We didn’t book. Just showed up. And like usual, we were in luck. Two seats at the bar. Again. Still the best place to sit, side by side, watching the room, close to the action. I could write a whole thing about sitting at the bar in restaurants. It’s where things happen.
We asked the waiter what was good and ordered everything he said:
Portarlington Mussels, fennel, saffron, cream
Apparently mussels are best in winter, fewer people eat them, so they grow bigger. The broth was beautiful. We ate it like soup, with spoons and bread. Sam said, “Chuck some pasta in that and away you go.”
Twice-cooked Cheese Soufflé, frisée, walnut
We went quiet. Always a good sign. Dave Chang once said, if no one’s talking, it’s good.He was right. The soufflé and salad were the perfect couple.
Hand-cut Pappardelle, venison ragu, reggiano
Sam called it “the pasta of our dreams.” Better than our bolognese. Sauce of the gods.
Jamaican Ginger Cake, coconut ice cream
Usually we say fun-yum. Last night we upgraded it: fucken fun-yum. Warm, sticky, sharp, coconutty. Never had anything like it.
To drink:
2022 Château Yvonne Saumur Champigny Cabernet Franc — just one glass each. Perfect.
The small details made it feel special, cutlery wrapped in a white napkin, held by a silver ring. You had to unwrap it like a gift. Sam picked up the butter knife and said, “It’s an actual butter knife.”
I spotted someone I recognised from Instagram behind the bar, a funny kind of familiarity.
The whole space felt intimate, lived-in, personal.Packed with character, but not cluttered. Everything had its place. We started listing what we could see:
– Seven copies of Beggars Belief (Gerald’s book)
– Huge David Bailey photo of Michael Caine
– Pineapple jug and cups
– A brass chicken
– Two Michelin men
– Champagne buckets (multiple)
– A model ship
– Chickens (again), definitely a chicken corner
– Lino print of someone pulling on their undies
– Vintage espresso machine
– Cookbook collection
– OXO stock cube tin
– A slicer we didn’t know the function of
– A tiny fan above our heads
– Mortadella being sliced behind the bar
It was loud. Sam said it would be too noisy for his dad. Which made the line on their website even better, “Sometimes the music is too loud, sometimes the wine flows too freely, sometimes the food runs out… but have no fear, we’ll do it all again tomorrow.”
We’ll go back.
We’ll take friends.
We’ll keep the rule.
Rule: If we left Melbourne tomorrow, would we regret not going?
Seat: At the bar, side by side, best place to be.
Detail: Cutlery wrapped in a napkin, silver-ringed, like a present.
Total: $153. Full hearts, full plates.
