First Look: Another Wine Bar Hits Rathdowne Village. But Malin Packs a Punch

After clocking time at Smith St Bistrot and Bar Margaux, Tash Sorensen wasn’t looking to open another French spot. “But I was looking for a chef, and I accidentally found Clement [Pilatre], who’d been here from France for just three or four weeks, and the vibe felt right,” she tells Broadsheet.

Sorensen initially planned on opening something on her own, until she found the site at 687 Rathdowne Street (previously La Tonada) and her vision evolved into something greater. She brought on Donna Katrina, who she met while at Smith St Bistrot, and the pair are opening Malin, an intimate, Euro-inspired wine bar and restaurant.

The elegant dining room – complete with white tablecloths, bistro curtains and Calacatta marble tabletops – currently seats 26 and will expand to include streetside seating, a courtyard and private dining upstairs. “Looking at Rathdowne village, there was an opportunity to do something quite considered, for the evening … obviously they’ve got Geralds Bar and Henry Sugar in the same little strip, so we wanted to do something that complemented those two venues, that also had the opportunity to grow.”

Malin also sits near other Euro-leaning, wine-focused neighbours such as Brico and Marama. But Sorensen and Katrina are clear-eyed about putting their own stamp on the area – and the wider dining scene.

“One of the biggest challenges I faced while raising capital was a lot of people saying, ‘This is a terrible time, there’s no money in hospitality, everywhere is closing down’. Unfortunately, yes there are a lot of places closing down. However, I do not imagine Melbourne’s culture to be without its bars, restaurants and cafes,” says Sorensen. “I think there is space for a new generation to come through.”

That includes young head chef Clement Pilatre, who was previously cooking in France at esteemed restaurants Pierre Gagnaire and Le Skiff Club. “This is his first head chef role. Something that’s really special is we’ve both taken a massive leap with each other. He hasn’t really worked anywhere in Australia, this is my first time as an operator, so there’s a wild sense of trust there.”

Pilatre has put together a French-leaning but non-traditional menu; among the dishes is a mashed potato with vanilla, coconut and rum, drawing on the tropical flavours of the French-colonised island Reunion, near Mauritius. “The mashed potato has had insane feedback. It reads a little bit different. It’s not too obviously French.”

There’s also Moroccan-inspired ballotine chicken, stuffed with chickpeas, carrotm cayenne pepper and North African spice mix ras el hanout, served on a bed of eggplant; crumbed prawns piped with rouille (French spiced mayonnaise) and citrus paste; a textural tartlet with pureed cauliflower, pickled florets and nasturtium petals; and beef and oyster tartare smothered in champagne sabayon and topped with caviar (“It’s all the best elements of French cooking in one,” says Sorensen).

The cocktails are less Gallic, more Yankee, taking cues from Sorensen’s time working front-of-house at New York spots including Public and Saxon & Parole with the Brooklyn (Jack Daniel’s rye, vermouth, Picon Amer, maraschino) and the Gold Rush (Old Forrester’s bourbon, lemon and honey), created by famous NYC bar Milk & Honey.

The wine list is “concise and considered,” says Sorensen. “There’s hopefully a balance of a few fun and quirky things and also a few reliables, if you don’t want to mess around.” She’s also made an effort to showcase emerging producers. “Even if we were tossing up between classic burgundy reds, and one was from someone new and fresh, then that was prioritised.”

Malin
687 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North
No phone

Hours:
Wed to Fri 6pm to 10pm
Sat midday to 10pm
Sun midday to 5pm

malinmelbourne.com
@malinmelbourne/