A new chef and a new menu have landed at Bistro X, and things are about to get a whole lot more approachable at Fitzroy’s hottest hotel restaurant. Stepping in after Shannon Bennett’s rockstar residency is Ben John, bringing his creds over from the Pure South Dining kitchen, alongside a sharp, smart and considered take on modern Australian dining.
That looks like a zesty list of starters heroed by a yellow tomato gazpacho, duck liver tartelettes holding it down somewhere in the middle, and lesser-known cuts called in from the High Country heroes Blackmore Wagyu. It’s an intensely approachable take on the hotel restaurant, and a welcomed one at that in downtown Fitzroy.
Here’s John now with what you might like to tuck into while you’re there.
Which dish best captures the Bistro X vibe?
I think any dish you choose is going to be a good bet here, but if I had to choose one, perhaps the 650g dry-aged pork tomahawk with sauce charcutière and padrón peppers. There’s something for everyone, every ingredient is from someone I’ve been working with for over a decade now. It’s easy to cook good food with produce we trust.
‘Approachable’ is the name of the game with your new menu. Tell us more.
We’re lucky here in Melbourne that it’s very multicultural, we can intertwine flavours and take hints from other cuisines. For us at Bistro X, that means having ingredients from local farmers and producers we hold strong relationships with and putting them on the plate simply, with finesse, strong technique and with a simple approach.
I’m here for a good time, not a long time.
Our duck liver tartelette with black apple, filo and Comté is a great start, and you can finish that off with a prawn cocktail and a glass of 2025 Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley semillon and you can’t go wrong.
Got anything light and fresh?
Right now, we have these beautiful summer melon skewers compressed in honeydew tea, lime, seasoned with fennel pollen and finished with guindillas. As an entrée I’d definitely go for the yellow tomato gazpacho with kohlrabi and lovage. Wrap up with a super fresh line-caught goldband snapper with broad beans and a fresh sorrel sauce.
Asparagus with Nimbin Valley brie
How about if we like tasty food but don’t eat animals?
Again, you can’t go past those melon skewers. You can absolutely make a meal of it, too, with the likes of our asparagus with Nimbin Valley brie and a bowl of fresh linguine with summer zucchinis, or otherwise the green pea risotto – a quiet crowd favourite.
What if we really want to go big and go crazy. What have you got for us?
I’d definitely be digging into our wagyu from David and Ben Blackmore. We take an amazing cut which when butchered gives us the Denver steak and we serve with peppercorn sauce – it’s a really great cut of meat and underutilised at the moment.
And to close?
If you like desserts and you’re not afraid to go large, it has to be the pear tarte Tatin. I’ve had these on my menu now for as long as I can remember. It’s best shared between friends with a beautiful spiced caramel and that perfect puff pastry crust – all served with plenty of house-made crème fraîche ice-cream. You just can’t go wrong with it.
Bistro X, 419 Fitzroy St, Fitzroy, open for breakfast seven days, lunch Fri-Sat, dinner Tues-Sat, @bistrox.melbourne, standardx.com/food-and-drink/bistro-x-melbourne/