Saint Crispin is the new restaurant from chefs Scott Pickett (Estelle) and Joe Grbac (most recently at The Press Club), opening on the ever buzz-worthy Smith Street, Collingwood. In a previous life the space was a cobbler's shop, inspiring the name Saint Crispin, patron saint of cobblers, yet dining here is more likely to bring to mind the St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V than footwear. "We few, we happy few" have another inspiring restaurant opening in Melbourne, one which is already serving a memorable dining experience, despite having only just opened. There is going to be comparisons to Pickett's Estelle and there are similarities between the two: contemporary cuisine driven by seasonal produce, accessible fine dining (without the outrageous prices) and a warm, casual atmosphere; however Saint Crispin feels more like the refined older sibling. The restaurant is sleek and sexy, the high ceiling and long room gives the space a chance to breathe; with tables running along the length of the room and ample bar seating as well. The open kitchen anchors the room and already shows a perfectly choreographed performance by the chefs. The concept differs from Estelle in that the menu offers the choice of two or three courses at prices that belie the heritage of the produce and techniques that go into each dish, which will help to entice regular diners. A potato crisp with tart tomato puree allows you time to settle in with a glass of wine and take in the atmosphere of the room before the meal begins. The seasonal approach to the menu is showcased in the first course, sautéed mushrooms and a mushroom-infused sponge with a 65 degree pullet egg and puffed black rice to give a much needed contrast of texture. It is warm and comforting with a richness coming from the parmesan and black truffle; a perfect winter dish which highlights the 'contemporary comfort food' style of the menu. A Grimaud duck terrine is moist and tender, with a hedonistic foie gras parfait and shavings of black truffle elevating the whole plate; heirloom beetroots add a crunch of texture and tart cumquat lightens the dish and refreshes the palate. When working with amazing produce, the simplest approach is the best, and the Flinders Island lamb is a triumph. The perfectly cooked lamb has a fine layer of meltingly delicious fat, and the accompanying jus is the best I have tasted all year, making it hard to resist licking the plate. A nettle puree and blanched nettles give a depth of flavour, with radishes adding a counterpoint to the richness of the lamb. The puffed potato crisps are best eaten right away, before the jus makes them soggy, but it will be the lamb and jus that you remember. Another main sees veal cheek and sweetbread, both perfectly cooked, paired with long hand-rolled macaroni, miso eggplant (although the miso is quite subtle) and flakes of almond. Once again, the highlight of this dish is the beautifully cooked veal and rich jus, served in generous lashings that you do not see often enough in most restaurants. The standout dessert plays with different preparations and textures of carrot, showing the mastery of technique in the kitchen: dehydrated, paper-thin shards, nuggets of fresh carrot, as well as fresh and lightly dehydrated carrot cake. The cake is lightly spiced and moist, working well with the essence of almond and honey floating through the dish, tied together with barely-set cream that melts in the mouth. The chocolate tart, while not as daring as the carrot dessert, will satisfy anyone looking for a decadent finish to the meal. The rich, bitter dark chocolate marries with the sweetness of the ice cream, balancing each other out. After dessert a medieval book arrives at the table, containing a final treat, which I will not spoil here, closing the meal. Saint Crispin is one of those restaurants that oozes warmth and comfort, where you immediately feel at home when you walk through the doors. At many new openings you can feel the tentative nerves, but the team here are on fire, a credit to their professionalism and experience. They aim to build a neighbourhood restaurant for regulars that serves top quality produce, executed perfectly, and they nail it. In a highly competitive year, this is going to be one of the hottest, if not the hottest, new restaurant opening this year and it is going to find a loyal following of food lovers quickly. I for one look forward to the promise of a feast on Saint Crispin's Day (October 25), until then "We few, we happy few" have a new gem in Melbourne dining to savour. read more

Saint Crispin - Carrot, star anise, almond, honey - Restaurants Near Me - Collingwood, VIC

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Finally a visit to Saint Crispin. The food and service were amazing! Highlight for me is the lamb rump. We had mushroom aracini, haloumi, pine nut tartar / ocean trout, calamari, soba noodle, tosaka seaweed and avocado / kangaroo loin, amaranth, rosella flower, sour cherry and smoked carrot / lamb rump, nettles, broad beans, asparagus and souboise / swordfish loin, olives, fennel, mussels and Parmesan gnocchi / Kensington mango parfait, vanilla rice pudding and lime / passion fruit soufflé, kaffir lime and coconut sorbet. The wait staff was amazing, the only thing I didn't enjoy was my mocktail which taste like cough syrup. read more

Saint Crispin - The food and service were amazing! Highlight for me is the lamb rump. - Restaurants Near Me - Collingwood, VIC

I've heard alot about this place and i've had it on my bucketlist for the longest time. My husband and i went on a triple date with our 2 other couple friends. They've never been here so we thought we would try it out. Why not hey? Upon entering i notice the really high ceiling. I love it. It makes the restaurant seem bigger than it really is and the open kitchen is very visual to all the diners. We decided on the 7 course. I don't remember any of the names for the courses as there was no definite menu for it. I have added photos if you want to have a look what they are. Some were a hit and miss. I enjoyed some and some i didn't. It was a great experience though as they were weird and quirky combinations. We all had a great time and I may one day try the menu again. read more

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If you're looking for an adventure and you want to stretch your taste buds then this place if for you. They will try to mix flavors and textures that are interesting. But if you want to have something tried and true this may not be the place for you. Most things work fantastically with all your senses, but you may hit a flavor or technique that won't work for you... why... because they are trying something new and pushing the envelope which is always hard to do in a restaurant. They first brought out the bread and butter which I always adore in Australia. It's so good, but EVEN BETTER when they have onion butter. Wow, I'm not a bread eater, but I ate bread and loved it. So far so good... For the entree we had the "Risotto, black truffles and parmigiana foam" and the "Kangaroo tartar with herbs and stone fruit" ....wow! The risotto had just the right bite and the flavors were perfect with the parmigiana foam ... not too heavy not too light. The kangaroo was made to be a tartar. It's lean with a nice flavor balanced by the herb and stone fruit. At first I thought they added isreali couscous, but it's not. It's the herb sauce formed into little balls. It's very delicious in flavor and texture with the nuts. For the main we had the "Lamb neck" and the "Pork jowl." The lamb neck is delicious and it has been braising for a long time and has that complex flavor. The pork jowl was really fatty and tough. I really wanted to like it because I love fatty pork and crispy skin, but I did't get that. Oh well, what does that mean? I will still come back and try something else. Most things were fantastic and with one miss, I"m more than OK with that. By the way, pair your meal with wine or sherry and you won't be disappointed. They know how to do pairings. read more

Amazing food.amazing service. Great to see waiters being more than just someone placing food on your table. They knew everything about your food and wine,very helpful. I would go back every week not unreasonable pricing. read more

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Took one of my infrequent walks on the wild side on Saturday and had lunch at St Crispins on Smith Street in Collingwood. Lovely space; cream walls lined with black banquettes, a little open kitchen next to the L shaped wooden bar, and a courtyard out back. I elected to sit at the table in the front window so I could watch the world go by while stuffing myself stupid on their five course tasting menu ($100 plus $50 for matched wines). Some bread with salted butter and a little amuse bouche arrived almost immediately. The latter consisted of three little dollops of taromasalata and dill on a potato chip. Really tasty. The first course arrived soon after - salt baked celeriac with sheep curd, dill and apple crumble. Vegetarian food is usually wasted on me as I am a committed carnivore, but this was great. The main ingredient was perfectly cooked, soft but not soggy, and complemented beautifully by the curd and dill, with the crumble adding a nice crunchy texture to the dish. This was paired with a Hunter Valley Semillon, which worked well. Good start. Next up was ocean trout with enoki mushrooms, sesame, sea blight (which looked like some type of succulent seaweed), and bottarga. This was served in a shallow bowl drizzled with umashi broth, which my waiter told me was basically a bonito reduction. Whatever it was, it was delicious. The fish was just cooked - just shy of being classifiable as sashimi - and the combination of flavours was amazing. This came with a very dry Rondinella Rose from Italy. This is not a wine I'd drink by itself, but with this dish it worked really well. This was followed by a slice of pork belly and a little pulled pork croquette served with charred cabbage, shitake mushrooms in a pool of red miso broth. I'm not a big fan of pork belly, but this is probably the best I've ever had - the crackling was incredible; crisp, tasty and not at all chewy which it all too often is in other restaurants. The wine match for this was another Italian; a 2010 Langhe Nebbiolo which was strong and quite earthy. The next course was lamb rump served with kohlrabi (a short, stocky member of the cabbage family that actually looks and tastes like a root vegetable), turnip tops and Harissa. I thought the meal had peaked with the last dish, but this was even better. Beautiful piece of meat perfectly cooked, and the vegetables were great too! This came with what was the pick of the wines so far; a soft, rich 10 year old Bordeaux. Last but not least, smoked chocolate mousse and vanilla ice cream served with a little glass of delish Rutherglen Topaque tokay. Lovely end to a fabulous meal. Really love St Crispin. Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Definitely worth an encore. read more

I've heard St Crispin described as The Estelle's sophisticated older sister and I totally agree. It's swanky, oozing class with that perfect blend of intimacy and bustle. The open kitchen further displays its confidence and self-belief. And mostly for good reason. Dinning on a Thursday night, we were offered two options, a seating at 6.00 pm or 8.30 pm. The four of us chose 6.00 pm and while we did have enough time to eat our three course meal (at $60 per head), I could have sat there all night. That probably speaks volumes about the sense of occasion that was bestowed upon us, and I would like to see a more flexible booking process. It's the perfect place to take a small group as we were able to sample most of the dishes and I believe I am therefore well versed to offer advice! The Wagyu bresaola, shallot rings, purple cauliflower and hay ash was a clear winner for entrée with the Atlantic salmon, shaved calamari, oyster, squid ink and saffron a close second but overall lacked the punch of the Wagya. For mains the menu on offering has changed slightly and they have removed the sensational chicken. No!! Bring it back! The vegetarian option was chickpea fritters, which I ordered and I death stared the member of our group who ordered that chicken! Dessert was good all-around but the blood orange parfait, white lemon, yoghurt and mandarin was simply beautiful. All around the food was pretty, on the whole flavourful and I would try the chef's tasting menu in a second! Service was a little pushing (5 people asked us to order within 15 minutes) but a policy of two seatings a night you have to expect a bit of hustle! read more

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Amazing dinner at St-Crispin. Fresh food, beautiful place, lovely staff, solid wine list. They cater to all dietary needs and I must mention the fabulous nori appetizer, the delicious gluten-free bread, the crispy John Dory. Do not forget to try ALL desserts, they kick butts. read more

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I think that Saint Crispin was one of my favourite dining experiences in Melbourne so far. I rarely venture north of the CBD as I live south of the river, but after a chef friend wouldn't stop raving about Saint Crispin I thought it would make a great destination for a Saturday afternoon trip to Fitzroy. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful space! Very polished, posh, but still welcoming and comfortable with a good layout of tables and a bustling open kitchen. It was lunch time and we didn't have a reservation, but we were quite happy to sit at the bar which is lucky because that's all they had for us. Saint Crispin is a set course menu, where you can either have two of three, picking from a nice array of dishes for each course. There are a few options available which cost a little bit more, as marked on the menu. My parter picked two courses and I picked three, and we quickly got to work on some pretty delicious Bloody Marys. The food was fantastic, both in taste and presentation. Everything was beautifully arranged in a fine dining fashion, and we were both seriously impressed by it. Really tasty, complex, and just the right amount of food to leave you satisfied but not about to explode. Service was a little tiny bit on the slow side - I prefer to eat a bit quicker without huge pauses between courses, but I'll forgive them for that because the waiter was smart, funny and pretty cute as well. This isn't a cheap meal, but I would highly recommend this place for a fancy lunch or nice dinner date. Love it! read more

When I first heard that Cavallero was going to close down I was pretty upset because for me it was an institution back in the day when I lived around the corner. However after visiting the newly opened Saint Crispin, I was filled with glee and happiness. The service was excellent. The food was impeccable and the high ceiling interiors have been given a revamp. I don't want to say it, but I think I even love Saint Crispin more. They do 2 or 3 courses for $50 or $60. I'd say go the $60 as everything I had (and tried from friend's plates) was delicious and food porn worthy. I'm already looking forward to my next dinner there. read more

This restaurant looks and feels right but it didn't all come together for me. When we entered the fry smell was nauseating and continued during our time there. We chose the 5 courses and were underwhelmed by most them except the pork belly which was memorable. The staff we great, attentive and coordinated but the food looked good but didn't hold up with taste. I felt that some dishes had too many things going on. read more

I love Saint Crispins set lunch. Two courses for 40 or three courses for 50. Such good choice too. The Spanner crab (slight surcharge) was perfection with a mussel foam. And I could not go by the Pork Belly, it was up there with the best I've had. Great variety and a great setting. Love the imposing Jesus statue above the entrance too. Dont worry, your food prayers will be answered here. The service, it was A OK. Attentive, but probably a tad cold overall. Give it a shot! read more

We went on recommendation. It was so cold, we sat by the back door and every time someone went to the outdoor bathroom the cold air rushed in. The food was ok. Presentation was nice. And in what will make me sound like a crank, it was so loud we couldn't hear one another, we were a party of 5 and you couldn't have a conversation with everyone included, if you were just two you might be able to lean in and still have a conversation. The staff were all very enthusiastic but we couldn't hear their descriptions of the wine or food. Two stars: one for the staff and one for the food presentation. read more

Went for dinner with a group of 7. We were told that we could only have a 6pm booking so we all burst a valve to get there. Only to find that no-one required our seating at all at 8:30pm. We were also told that because of the size of the group we must have a set menu consisting of 3, 5 or 7 courses. 2 courses not available to us. I rarely eat 3 courses and didn't feel like doing so tonight. A very expensive meal for what was reasonable but not spectacular food. My main course of swordfish on a bed of nettle risotto which was very nice. Would I do it again. Nah. read more

I thoroughly enjoy this place, food, ambiance, staff are all excellent. The food is sophisticated and complex without being fiddly or pretentious. The sommelier is knowledgeable and passionate, there's something for any palette. For those in the know, there's a bar upstairs that does fantastic Scotch... the bartender is also spot on with his advice. read more

I just don't understand how a restaurant can say at the time of booking that a minimum spend of $70 is required (for each person) BEFORE taking the booking. A red flag should have gone off at that point, however a friend was given a voucher and we went there last night. The food was incredibly overpriced and uninspired for what it is. I suggest the chef book a table at La Lune in Brisbane and understand what a fine dining meal can be like. I was embarrassed for the chef - the Spanner Crab ($27) was overpowered by too many garlic flakes and acidic mayonnaise, the Wagyu Beef ($45) was rubbery.. what propels a chef to select expensive ingredients and then destroy them? I suggest to anyone reading this to go to Ides just down the street, for $100 including paired wines, and food that will knock your socks off. read more

The best place to spend a saturday night! Staff...amahzing, food... To die for..wine... Something to write home about...

Just amazing. The most mind blowingly great food at a very reasonable set price meal.

Incredibe food and an amazing bar upstairs. My new favorite place. Oh and Alan who runs the bar is a bloody legend. read more

Hit the three course dinner on a Saturday night- sat at the bar and enjoyed perfect service and delicious food. Don't miss the chicken.

Well how disappointing! Have been before and could not speak highly enough, but this experience on Saturday night left us speechless. we had some "bites" to start off our night, which were fantastic and thought this was going to be an amazing experience. We followed this with the five course degustation, well how disappointed were we. Only really enjoyed two of the five dishes. Pork belly was so salty you could not eat it. The four of us had to leave this dish brine - inedible. To add to all of this. Shocking service, had to ask each time for our water glasses to be filled. Drink service extremely slow etc, etc. Fir the price you pay, not good enough. Will not be back! read more