Poodle Bar & Bistro

Inside a pair of side-by-side Victorian buildings on Fitzroy’s Gertrude Street, Poodle is a Euro-inspired bar and bistro, and the sibling to Rocco’s Bologna Discoteca up the road.

Prior to opening Poodle, head chef Josh Fry cooked at some of Melbourne’s best restaurants, including Andrew McConnell’s neighbouring wine bar Marion, and Cumulus Inc on Flinders Lane. His menu is full of zhooshed-up European classics. Think prawn scotch eggs; hibachi-grilled hanger steaks with “cafe de poodle” butter; and pork neck skewers with smoked orange butter. For dessert, don’t look past the banana and ricotta mille feuille.

The cocktail list is short and sweet. When Broadsheet visited, we tried the Wet Poodle, a wetter-than-usual take on a Gibson served with pickled onion. The aperitif menu is also concise, and includes spritzes served your way, a couple of highballs and champagne.

Spread over two levels, the venue blends European elements with a touch of kitsch Aussie-Italian suburban. Downstairs there's a marble-topped bar and a dining room with tables divided by fluted glass. Out the back is a terracotta-tiled courtyard, and a walk-in cellar. A second bar lives upstairs, where leather banquettes and gold-velvet couches encourage settling in for the long haul.