Little House is a new small bar in Collingwood that’s just as much about the food as the wine, and full of fun ideas that take things pleasingly left of centre. Can we interest you, perhaps, in a burger that brings together a hefty wagyu sausage patty, oxheart tomato pickled in rice vinegar and loaded up with a cheddar custard? Or what about suppli – arancini’s Roman cousin, filled with octopus Amatriciana? Centre-cut tuna, sourced directly from the ice-cold waters of Bass Strait, meanwhile, makes up one red-hot take on crudo. And for dessert? How about a pudding that takes a little inspiration from Japan and mingles it with a healthy dash of everyone’s favourite Italian artichoke amaro, Cynar?
Do you want more? Of course you do. Here’s owner operator Richard Duncan and chef Federico “Freddy” Carnevale with the ins and outs of Smith Street’s most exciting new menu.
Which dish best captures the Little House vibe?
Richard Duncan: It has to be the brick chicken. It ties in with zero-waste philosophy and combines Freddy’s nonna’s recipe with native Australian ingredients. It’s an uncomplicated presentation and a delicious result. We butcher the chicken in-house, and it’s then marinated for nine hours in the brine that we’d otherwise discard from the handmade burrata. From there, it’s roasted under weight (traditionally bricks), brushed with eucalyptus honey, and served with a zesty, tangy lemon sauce infused with lemon myrtle.
And how about that burger? Wagyu sausage, English vintage cheddar custard, rice vinegar-pickled tomato. Tell us more.
RD: We use wagyu sausage for the patty. The difference between sausage and regular patty in this case is the higher fat ratio. Combined with Freddy’s secret mix of spices, it delivers more flavour and juiciness than a normal patty. Enclosed in a soft potato bun, the cheddar custard he developed gives the perfect level of ooze, and then there’s heirloom tomato pickled in rice vinegar for acidity to balance. Our house pickle mustard mayo brings it all together for a satisfyingly rich and gooey experience.
And the kitchen operates on a zero-waste philosophy? What does that look like on the plate for diners?
Federico Carnevale: The zero-waste philosophy is about what operates behind the menu. It’s little things like the brine from the handmade burrata getting a second life to brine our brick chicken. We use citrus peels from the bar in our marinade for the olives, and we have a preference for butchering in-house so the frames and bones, and vegetable offcuts can become our house stocks and sauces. It’s about respecting the produce and thinking beyond convention.
I’m here for a good time not a long time.
RD: It has to be the Fremantle octopus Amatriciana supplì with pecorino Sardo. It all starts with the octopus, cooked low and slow for five hours, that we pair with an Amatriciana sauce – classic as tradition requires. Bringing those elements together in a classic risotto using carnaroli rice makes something small enough that it won’t sink your battleship, but it’s substantial enough to be nourishing.
Got anything light and fresh?
FC: Tuna crudo. Of course the tuna is the hero here and we use sashimi-grade centre-cut delivered daily from the cold seas near Tasmania, served raw and seasoned with a little sea salt to enhance its natural flavour. Then it’s dressed with fragrant basil oil, rice vinegar, pickled red onion, and crisp lemon zest. We make use of the winter tomatoes that largely get ignored to make our tomato consommé to complete the dish.
How about if we like tasty food but we don’t eat animals?
RD: Lots of options but perhaps our house-made focaccia with parmigiano butter (Freddy takes a lot of pride in his focaccia, having been a baker), burrata with charcoal pepper jam, then our braised lentil “risotto” with barbecued wild mushroom and macadamia – with truffle season about to start, there’ll soon be a decadent addition available.
What if we really want to go big and go crazy. What have you got for us?
RD: Every week we’ll have a big cut on the bone featured on our specials board, perfect for sharing. This week it’s 750g wagyu rib eye from central Victoria, marbling score 4+, dry-aged for 40 days and served with our signature gin lemon butter.
And to close?
RD: Our signature dessert is our flan with Cynar caramel and chocolate cremoso. It’s Freddy’s interpretation of a Japanese purin with a European twist in his Cynar amaro caramel. He’s a chocolate-lover too so it wouldn’t be complete without a dark chocolate cremoso using Veliche chocolate, a family-run Italian chocolate company.
Little House, 98 Smith St, Collingwood, 4.30pm-late Tues-Sat, littlehousewinebar.com.au, @littlehousewinebar