A trainer restaurant for Australian Natives, serving Australian cuisine, I was very excited to try dishes that I've never experienced before as well as be part of a good cause. Overall a definite recommend, as we had an overall great experience with some hiccoughs. Food: Food here was amazing. My wife had the wallaby and everything about the dish was fantastic. For myself I had the emu, and it was just good. The meat itself was a bit chewy, but never having had emu before I wasn't sure if it was normal (although it could also have been because it was cooked a bit more on the rare side--who knew Emu was red meat!). It was juicy, and the accompanying sides with the meat (salad and polenta) were great (I don't think I've ever left a plate so clean). The fries we also had were great as well. There was very little to complain about for the food. Drinks: They had an okay beer selection. Nothing to write home about. The cocktails were all very expensive as were the desserts which I'm lumping here as well. We passed on the last two. Ambience: Very nice. Small restaurant, and they put lots of space in between the tables which is nice. Not sure if it's because they are low staffed (more on that below) but they put a lot of space between their reservations and the restaurant was half empty most of the evening due to this. Service: Our main server was very nice and very knowledgeable about everything as well as attentive about all of my wife's allergies. However with only him, another server and then the manager to oversee a dozen tables (several with parties of 8+) it sometimes took way too long to get someone's attention, our fries were forgotten about and we had to remind them halfway through the entree (they ended up coming significantly after we were finished with our entrees). I had also expected that at this caliber of restaurant, they would have comped the fries due to their mistake, as was the case at another Aussie restaurant we went to, so I was a bit disappointed by that but I'm also not sure if that's custom as it generally is at American restaurants. Overall: The service was enough to deduct one star from the but it did not subtract from the overall experience at Charcoal Lane. I think if they add one more person to help out, and improve their table turning it could help their business even more since their food is already absolutely delicious. Definitely recommend. read more

Charcoal Lane - Emu entree - Modern Australian Near Me - Fitzroy, VIC

We came in on a Saturday evening for dinner. For the appetizer we ordered the mango prawns and another dish that I can't remember. The prawns were very delicious and cooked well. My main entrée was the pan fried emu. Cooked medium rare. It was quite tender but could use a bit more seasoning. To finish, I had the wattleseed crème brulee. I found it to be a little grainy. I don't think they fully mixed in the sugar for a smooth crème. I applaud this place for giving underprivileged kids an opportunity for real life work experience and I'm assuming the evenings meal was prepared by those kids. For a cook with no formal culinary training, I think it was a good meal. I think with a little more polish these dishes would be right up there with those high end restaurants. read more

The last dinner of our trip and we decided it would be bush tucker. My partner and I shared the chefs tasting plate for two. The shrimp or bugs were the best of the dish. For my entree I had the wallaby and my partner the enu. The wallaby had a game taste, which I don't mind but was surprised as the other wallaby's I had on my trip did not have this. Ot than that the wallaby was a bit tough to eat, though cooked medium rare. My partners emu was a better tasting dish. The flavors of the emu accompanied by the sauce worked well. Our server was nice and attentive, as the restaurant was not filled to capacity. A great experience non the less to end the last meal of our trip. read more

My cousin and her husband live in Melbourne and are serious foodies. They took us to Charcoal Lane. The emu, wallaby and variety appetizer were excellent. Ditto the pear dessert. As others noted, the restaurant trains staff, so cut them some slack on service. We were the second table at 6:15; wss full when we left. read more

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Very well presented and prepared food with an emphasis on indigenous Australian ingredients. The Kangaroo I had last night is level-pegging with Dining Room One (Mildura back in 2004) for the best I have eaten. We were a party of six and enjoyed a diverse range of offerings starting with rabbit and water buffalo terrine, crocodile curry, and an Australian shared platter with a range of native plants and animals followed by main courses of kangaroo, emu, or a gnocchi with kangaroo. Everyone was happy with the food. The ambience is very good- spacious quiet enough to converse easily across The table with no interference from adjacent tables. A near perfect birthday celebration experience was, however, tarnished when it came time to pay and I was asked to provide a tip. The very act of suggesting a tip is a form of moral blackmail. The customer is made to feel stingy if he doesn't leave a tip or feel like a mug if he does. This is Australia and we should not be expected to tip. It is not customary because our servers are paid much better wages than their counterparts in the USA. $500 for 6 people isn't enough? The two bottles of Shiraz already had $60 worth of markup on them. The food and the ambience were good but the on-sell was not welcome and I have dropped my rating by a star. I'm writing this the following day to cool off but I am still feeling resentful of my treatment at the cash register. read more

Hell yeah. After three years in Melbourne Frenchy Pants and I were beginning to despair: We hadn't yet had an exceptional and well priced "gourmet" meal in Melbourne and were longing to go back to Paris on holiday and indulge in a bit of affordable gastronomy. What we really missed about Paris was this little bistro in the 13th called L'avant gout. For 32 euro (or around 45 Australian) we would enjoy three pretty marvellous courses and a glass of excellent wine. Try as we might, we couldn't find anything comparable in Melbourne. Until Charcoal Lane that is. At 35 dollars, the lunch menu is an absolute steal: Two courses and a glass of wine. I ordered the leek and pancetta tart which was served with a dollop of creamy chevre beside it and a teeny tiny salad of micro herbs drizzled with pomegranate gems. It was unbelievably good; the pastry was delicate and crispy, and the pancetta and creamy leeks melded together perfectly. Frenchy Pants had oysters served rather stylishly on a bed of snowy salt crystals. They were dressed in a fruity rosella dressing and were fresh as fresh can be. For our main we both had the kangaroo loin with a buttery potato puree and and roasted winter vegetables. I've been a slow convert to kangaroo as it's usually a bit gamey for me but this was a revelation: Tender, savoury, and absolutely perfect. The whole artful "stack" of deliciousness was surrounded by a lovely espresso cherry sauce. We split a desert of rhubarb crumble, vanilla bean ice cream, and pistachio creme anglais and had tears in our eyes when we got to the last mouthful. My dining companion looked at me as he put down the spoon and said, "i think we've found our Melbourne L'avant gout". I heartily agreed with him. As if being affordable and delicious wasn't enough, Charcoal Lane trains Aboriginal youths for jobs in the hospitality industry so you can enjoy a great meal and help support a deserving cause. This place, has brains, heart, and soul. Highly recommended. read more

Set Xmas menu with limited choice on offer here. They weren't quite on their game here today. I had the fish of the day, orange snapper. It was nicely done and well cooked but lacked a bit of flavour. I also had the strawberry, praline and eucalyptus terrine with chocolate ganache for dessert. It was very nice but a bit too rich and no one at the table could finish it. Service was a little slow but they are all trainees as this is a social enterprise. read more

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Absolutely fantastic. Wonderful staff. Yes, some are training but you can tell they really care and are trying really hard which is more than can be said of sine if Melbourne's "better" restaurants. Great food. The presentation and taste of the food was exceptional. Again the effort was obvious. Cheap! Considering that the menu includes exotic items like Kangaroo, Wallaby or Emu I was pleasantly surprised by the pricing. The prices are about half of what you would expect elsewhere but that does not sacrifice the quality. Will be back. read more

What's better than an amazing dinner in a beautifully restored heritage building in the heart of Fitzroy? All that while giving back to the community!! Charcoal Lane, unbeknownst to me the first time I went in, is an admirable business in this city. They bring in underprivileged and Aboriginal youths and teach them the necessary skills to flourish and excel in food service. But through this help, the people that find opportunity at Charcoal Lane can learn a much bigger message of social responsibility. Thanks for that! On top of this, the food is amazing. It's not just some thrown together place. I've never been for lunch, but their dinner menu is creative and very well executed. Though a bit expensive, it's beautiful for a splurge night. I loved the main dish of mixed mushrooms with egg, truffle and asparagus. So rich. Also split a tuna sashimi starter and its spicy citrus accompaniment really made it stand out. Great food and giving back to the community just seems like a no brainer! read more

Amazing place. Brilliant concept. Giving back to the community in a big way. The kangaroo and pork loin are truly special. Amazing place. Brilliant concept. Giving back to the community in a big way. The kangaroo and pork loin are truly special. read more

Interesting food and a good cause make this place worth a stop. The portions are huge and they feature local ingredients, Australian dishes including kangaroo and act as a training kitchen to help jumpstart careers. But, they forgot one of our dishes and the flavours were underwhelming. If you want to try kangaroo once, maybe try it elsewhere, as it seems difficult to prepare properly. read more

We came here about a month ago and had such a wonderful lunch! The inside looks very nice. Since we came on a weekday, they had some $15 express lunch options. We ordered: 1. Barramundi topped with pepperleaf, with green beans and potatoes (15) 2. Lamb with bacon, with green beans and potatoes (31) My dish was sooo good! The skin was crispy and the pepperleaf was unexpected -- I thought it would be like basil leaves, but they were like tiny little fried hollow chickpeas. The fish was super tender and the potatoes drenched in the oils/sauce were so delicious. My boyfriend also enjoyed his lamb very much, and even though my dish was half the price, they were pretty much the same size (and arguable mine was better!). What a steal! We found this place just by walking past on the street, and were pulled in by the traditional Australian theme (it was my first time in the country). But now I'm looking online and found out they also train homeless and unemployed kids as trainees in the hospitality industry -- how awesome! Even better. Improvements: 1. Wifi -- they have a really complicated wifi system where they have to generate a code off a machine for you, instead of just giving you a password. We tried multiple times and it didn't work. 2. Long wait for food -- we went during off hours but it still took a while to get our food. Luckily we weren't in a hurry! If I'm in the area again I'll definitely come back! read more

Have friends from overseas visiting wanting 'Aussie' food? This is a close as I could get with native ingredients. We tried a lot of items from the menu as there were a few of us. Entree - try the sashimi and 'bolognaise' Mains - the kangaroo and barramundi is recommended. Beautifully plated and though the portions are on the smaller side. meals are still filling. read more

I shall overlook the somewhat lax (albeit friendly) service and put this down to the fact that this restaurant also serves as a training facility for homeless and unemployed kids... But the rest of the experience was off the charts... The building feels steeped in history, the food is incredible... We had the wallaby loin and the emu but the highlight was the saltbush lamb which not only was the best lamb we've ever had but pretty close to the best meat ever had, it was so tender I could have used a spoon. The wine list, whilst not extensive, carried a nice mix of choices at most price points. This sort of experience is difficult to find and I would highly recommend it. Great concept, wonderful delivery! read more

Fantastic, distinctive food. It is in an excellent location. The social justice angle of the place is a plus as well. It is one of the few things I recommend to all visitors I have to the city. read more

I went for lunch and, unfortunately, i couldn't enjoy the full a la carte menu; however the two lunch menus at 35 AUD (2 courses) or 45 AUD (three) plus a glass of wine was ok. I had a warm salad with gnocchi and rocket, forest berries and gongorzola absolutely superb. The kangaroo burger was ok, I'm a foreigner and I had to indulge in it. Finally some cheese for desert...very good ones. The waiter was extremely kind and the ambience is cosy and clean. A Must in Melbourne read more