Blackbird has landed in the Melbourne CBD, bringing with it the same focus on provenance, dry-aged beef and native ingredients that made it a hit in its native Brisbane. Steak is front and centre, but the menu is far more than just prime cuts. It’s layered, share-friendly and full of surprises including fried olives stuffed with ‘nduja, honey bugs (a delicious relative of the Moreton Bay bug) and a show-stealing spotted blue grouper dotted with diamond shell clams and finished with desert lime.
Here’s executive chef Jake Nicolson with what you might like to order at Blackbird Melbourne.
Which dish best captures the Blackbird vibe?
The one that feels most us is the spotted blue grouper with diamond shell clams, desert limes, roasted cauliflower and curry leaf. When spotted blue grouper first became available commercially, Blackbird introduced Brisbane diners to it, and it’s a dish that has stayed with us ever since. Instead of the usual wedge of lemon, we use bursts of native desert lime, which brighten the brown-butter sauce and pair beautifully with cauliflower and curry leaf. It’s designed to share, and sharing has always been at the heart of Blackbird’s DNA.
Have you had to make any concessions in view of how you think Melbourne diners might behave differently to people back at the OG in Brisbane?
The Melbourne menu is a love letter to both the city and to Blackbird’s greatest dishes of the past 12 years. There’s definitely more Victorian beef on offer, and there’s a noticeable shift is the snack section – it’s bigger here. Melbourne diners love that pre-dinner ritual of cocktails with bites before committing to main courses, so we’ve leaned into that.
If we wanted to pretend we were from Queensland, how would we order?
Definitely the buttered prawn and pumpkin gnocchi. Queenslanders love their prawns, and we’re somewhat partial to pumpkin and ginger too. We make a reduced pumpkin and ginger sauce and finish it with butter to make it velvety and glossy, which gently coats little soft pillows of pumpkin gnocchi. It’s crowned with a grilled king prawn and some sea succulents for texture.
I’m here for a good time not a long time.
The bar is a great space to enjoy snacks like pork croquettes or fried ocean leather jacket cheeks from the bar menu. A highlight from the main menu – and something we think our guests here are unlikely to have tried before – are our honey bugs that we serve with finger lime mignonette. Fished from very deep waters off Shark Bay in Western Australia, they’re like tiny versions of Moreton Bay bugs or Balmain bugs, with translucent flesh that’s far sweeter than the bigger bugs. They’re about the size of an oyster, so they’re perfect bite-sized appetisers. You eat the tail meat in one bite. My recommendation is to pair them with the Peregrine Martinez cocktail, which is made with an oyster-shell gin that’s spiked with finger lime.
For something more snacky, the fried olives stuffed with ‘nduja are addictive, too, especially alongside the bitter bite of a Wild Negroni.
Got anything light and fresh?
Our zucchini blossom fritters with whipped ricotta and caper-olive-raisin vinaigrette are delicate, crisp and vibrant. The capretto goat raviolo with morel cream, peas, lettuce and smoked speck is another lighter option. And of course, the pumpkin and prawn gnocchi can swing light too – it’s indulgent but not heavy.
How do you look after vegetarians, vegans and people who can’t or won’t eat gluten?
Most of our menu is adaptable, and we work with gluten-free flours where we can. Vegetarians and vegans are well taken care of with options such as our zucchini blossom fritters and the baked and glazed eggplant steak with native tamarind relish, young coconut salad and curry leaf muesli.
You guys work with all kinds of beef; what do you think makes the meat from Victoria different or special?
It’s some of the best in the world. The genetics, the pristine pastures, the long grazing periods – all of that creates superior flavour and consistency. It’s no wonder Victoria has such a global reputation.
Mayura Station wagyu
What if we really want to go big and go crazy. What have you got for us?
Go for a feast. That could mean our set feasting menu, or a table-built spread of our signature sharing dishes: the spotted blue grouper, coal-roasted cockerel with sweetcorn and chorizo, wood-roasted rock lobster with warrigal greens, and the cumin-spiced lamb shoulder with Davidson plum, mint jelly and fried saltbush. And if you’re really pushing the boat out, add the Mayura Station pure-blood wagyu tomahawk. It comes in at around 1.5kg to 2kg. The cattle’s unique diet is supplemented with chocolate – a fattening strategy that gives the beef a distinctive flavour and contributes to the marbling. Served with beef fat vinaigrette and truffle mustard, this tomahawk is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
And to close?
Never skip dessert at Blackbird! The rocky road trifle – white chocolate mousse, cherry jelly, chocolate sponge and almond florentine – is designed for two and is an instant favourite. Take it with the Tim Tam Slammer, our not-so-subtle nod to the Australian classic biscuit via a twist on the Espresso Martini.
Blackbird, 66 Flinders La, Melbourne, open 11.30am-11pm Mon-Thurs, 11.30am-late Fri-Sat, blackbirdmelbourne.com.au, @blackbirdmelb