Gluten Savvy

Huxtable opened a few weeks ago on Smith Street, opposite the Grace Darling. It's quickly become a new favourite — on the Thursday we went, everything else was empty, while Huxtable was hopping. We ended up with the table at the window, with a great view of the street, the restaurant and the bar. I was thrilled there was a GF menu… and then a little confused when it listed items with soy, breading and other gluten-filled nasties with a little 'OK' on the side.

A quick check with our waitress clarified… If it said OK next to it, it was a dish that could be made gluten-free. (Don't worry, I've already explained how disappointing it is to think you might be able to have the duck because you think they're using wheat-free tamari, only to discover that actually they mean you could have the duck, but only a flavourless adulterated version… they're new, I forgive them.)

A little back and forth with the kitchen clarified what actually would be gluten-free without alteration and we were off. Our host told us that the bites were literally one mouthful, like tapas and that the "share" plates could be smaller than expected and she recommended four to five of them for the three of us. That meant a slightly more expensive dinner than we'd been planning, but never mind. We started with half a dozen Tasmanian oysters, which were fresh and delicious. 

The share menu is divided into sea, land and earth. My meat-eating companion and I quickly settled on the Korean BBQ ribs to represent the land section. The three of us agreed the rice-crusted snapper with green papaya was the go from the ocean. We got potatoes roasted with garlic as a side, and my vegaquarian friend (not avoiding gluten) got a deconstructed version of the asparagus so I could have some asparagus (and she could have the brioche-crumbed egg… sigh).

It was a toss up whether the ribs or the fish were better. Both were amazing. One piquant and sticky with a spicy coleslaw and the other delicate and falling apart beautifully contrasting beautifully with the sharp chilli papaya salad. The potatoes were good and crunchy, with whole cloves of roasted garlic.

For dessert, I had fresh mango and strawberries with a teensy scoop of house-made coconut sorbet. To be honest, this was the only disappointment: although it was delicious, the size seemed stingy for the $12 price tag. The botrytis semillon went beautifully with it, though.

Huxtable's food is absolutely superb and the wine list is strong too. A tad expensive but once they sort out the gluten-free menu, this will be a terrific place to dine. I'm definitely going back to try their breakfast and brunch menus.

Rating:

Huxtable
huxtablerestaurant.com.au
131 Smith St, Fitzroy
03 9419 5101