Hell of the North

If you are looking to impress someone special then this is the place, Everything is fantastic from the service to the amazing food to the décor. Its sophisticated and classy with a great atmosphere. Perfect for a 2^nd or 3 rd date. Its a little pricey but worth every dollar. You can make it a surprise by meeting at Bad Frankies next door for a drink before hand. I dropped off a Rose earlier and they had it waiting on our table when we arrived. Staff are extremely friendly and knowledgeable and did not intrude or rush us when we were deep in conversation. Highly recommended.

I’ve been wanting to come here for a while and was not disappointed. Fish donuts were impressive, and my favourite of the shared menu I did with friends. Super cool location and definitely worth a visit to Hell!

Everything we had was well put together and very tasty. The ambience was nice too and I felt like I was somewhere special. The place gets busy and you have to book ahead. It looked like people were going there for a special occasion or date. We at the fish and pork for mains, both very nice, pork dohnuts (a fav) and antipasto style platter for entrees, crème brûlée for dessert (was a bit too sweet for my liking do I couldn’t finish it like I usually would) and the chocolate dessert as well. (I didn’t like this, it was too strong but I wouldn’t have chosen it anyway. My friend chose it and he devoured it! Overall a good experience for a new place but would have no need to go back because I didn’t have a favourite meal to come back for. Again its suited for a first date. If be impressed if someone took me here.

This is a good hangout to have a few drinks at. The prices are above average but it has a good atmosphere.

You’re closer to heaven than you think.
Melbourne is famous for its hidden food gems tucked away in back streets, opening doors into mysterious basements and lurking through alleyways. Hell of the North is no different. Find the yellow door engraved in bluestone wall where you will find hell is a good place to sin.
Edgy, warm, wood stitched interior, with a clean, modern, industrial sharpness opens up for a cosy feel with exceptional staff at your service. Ask all the questions as they know the menu inside out. I didn’t ask, but I later found out Hell of the North is the name for the Paris-​Roubaix bike race held in northern France which has the reputation of being torturous.
The food was amazing. The Pulled Pork and Gruyère Doughnut was the perfect start, generous sized croquette like balls, filled with tender pulled pork and creamy sauce made conversation impossible. The Milawa Duck, Red Cabbage, Madeira Jus with a side of Green Beans, Chilli, Garlic and Anchovy Crumb was luscious. Two different types of duck was served, both a wonderland of flavours to enjoy with red cabbage finely severed as a base and the jus for the other. I haven’t seen duck respected like this dish nor have I tasted duck this good. If you weren’t a fan of green beans before, you will be after this side.
The Navarin of Lamb and Pommes Frites were next and as my partner would say, no knife is required to cut through. With your spoon as your wand, a single tap on the lamb and it crumbles in the hearty, delicious French stew. If you look hard enough you can see its atoms, its soul attaching itself to the most amazing taste sensations you can find. The cunning tulips that was presented in the lamb was a nice touch. The fries added another dimension to the lamb, every soft crunch that you heard was reassuring that you’re eating the best Pommes Frites you have ever had.
You’re not having a hell of a time without dessert, sure enough crowd favourites such as the Crème Brûlée followed that was tasty and large for the price. The Chocolate, Peanuts and Whisky was an interesting mix of ice cream and whisky like cream was a perfect way to end a night of blissful food.
During the food bonanza, I had the Orchard Mule cocktail as my companion that featured Vodka, Apple Liqueur, Shiraz, Lime and Ginger Beer. I savoured every last drop. Yes, it was that good. There’s a whole selection of French wines if you’re not up for any of the lip licking cocktails.
The atmosphere and feel is all class, with a great crowd that seemed contemplative that know how to enjoy great food.
Underneath the disguise, Hell of the North is heaven and my favourite French restaurant, it has it all from food, drinks, to a charming yellow door, classy name and clean décor.
I’m still thinking about the food, I can’t recommend this place enough!

Came here to attend my partners team dinner so I didn’t take any photos here. But believe me when I say the presentation of their dishes are fantastic! It’s a clean dim lounges sort of place. We were dining in our own little closed off area.
The whole table was automatically served sparkling water. I’m not big on sparkling water so was surprised they didn’t give you the option of sparkling or still.
It’s all shared plates, and we weren’t allowed to order a la carte the chefs will make you what they will make you lol. All you need to tell your waiter/​waitress is what food requirements you have and if there was a standout meal from your last dine that you want. I haven’t been here before so I was not fussed. All the dishes that came out were pretty good. Really loved the presentation.
They have a big assortment of wines, we had ones that were aged back to the mid 80s if I recall. We had whites and reds and desserts, all served with the appropriate meal accompaniment.
As for dessert — the crème brûlée is amaze-​balls!
I’d come back again with my partner this time I reckon, love to try their other seasonal menus!

Food, wine, staff and atmosphere are amazing! Simply can’t go past the 3 C’s: Charcuterie, Chardonnay, Crème Brûlée! Ohhh take me now!

Fine French food with some amazing wine! Loved the clams and it has got to have the best chips (fries) I have ever tasted!

Beetroot salad $ 17 is a must! Great to share. Food was fantastic. Great section to choose from. Easy to get to. The only thing that they could improve on would be the wait staff, they didn’t know enough about the food that was on the menu and had to keep on asking. Food is very high quality.

I took one of my occasional trips to the Dark Side (ie, north of the Yarra) for Sunday lunch today. The restaurant of choice was Hell of the North tucked away in Greeves Street, Fitzroy, in a black, converted terrace house just off Smith Street. Inside is even more elegant than out. The front and back walls are blue stone and the tables are spread along the walls around a little horseshoe bar. It has a very cosy feel — like you’ve just walked in to someone’s living room (which it probably was originally). I ordered a Kir Royal to sip on while I perused the menu.
Feeling in a grazing mood as usual I asked for the «Let us Feed You» option, a selection of five taste plates for $ 65. You can’t choose yourself, but can specify any dietary requirement or personal dislikes.
First up were three Tasmanian oysters in the shell with a bowl of finely diced shallots and vinegar on the side. The oysters tasted like they’d just been pulled off the rock, and the sauce was simple but effective. Nice starter.
King fish roulade with salmon mousse was next. This was topped with a crème Fraiche (I think), shaved fennel and a dollop of caviar. There was also a sprinkling of ground pimento around the plate. Great dish, good balance of flavours, and went down very well with a glass of beautifully soft Guicharde Cotes du Rhone.
The next course was French onion soup baked in the bowl. This was rich and delicious and managed to avoid the over-​saltiness that some restaurants inflict on this French classic. The cheese crust was cooked to perfection.
The main was duck breast, confit duck leg and duck neck and pistachio sausage served in a bouillon with baby carrot, turnip and onions. The sausage was quite gamey, but good and the breast was perfect — tender and very flavoursome. The waitress warned me when I ordered that I’d probably be rolling out the door, and I was already full enough to leave the confit unfinished. Not full enough, however, to refuse the waiters offer of a bowl of warm bread to sop up the liquid leftovers, which augmented with some shredded confit was delicious.
I wasn’t going to get out of here just yet, though. First, the cheese. A luscious Brie from outside of Paris served with lavoche and a little bowl of honey. Sensational, and even better with the fortified wine recommended — a Paradis Mistelle Rouge. This reminded me of a Pedro Ximinez, but less intense and sugary. Beautiful.
Now I can say I’ve been to Hell — and I want to go back! Great food, fast, efficient service and a mellow sound track that included a lot of my favs from the 60’s. If this is anything like it’s namesake, the guy with horns and the pitchfork can take me now…

Absolutely love this place. We went for the feeder menu and every dish that came out was such a pleasure to eat. Every bite left me wanting more and more. The staff were extremely informative and passionate about the food they bought out. There is an extensive wine list and the cocktails we had were great. Have been here a few times and the owner of the restaurant welcomes all customers who walk through his door like he has known you for years. Have recommended this place to all my friends and they all say the same as me. You’ll be missing out if you don’t go!!! Wish I had some photos to show you of the food we ordered but getting my phone out and taking a photo was the last thing on my mind when my palate was being romanced!!!

What an awesome experience to be part of! A boys long lunch or a romantic dinner for two, this the kinda joint ya just want to keep coming back to. The blue stone and décor make you feel like your down a back alley but with the comfort and of your lounge at home.
The grub is just incredible, the biggest concern is trying not to eat everting and needing a crane to remove you fat ass after over indulging.
Love it, love it, love it.

It was a dark and stormy night but the warmth that emanated from the windows of the Fitzroy bluestone restaurant gave us hope for a great evening. Inside looked a little like a ski lodge, all timber and lots of gemutlchkeit. Three of us had booked into the 6.30 sitting. It seems that our most popular restaurants are doing 2 dinner sittings. We went with the set $ 65 a head 5 courses designed to be shared. All food foibles and dietary needs seem to be catered for. Wine list is thoughtful and covers a good range. Duck rillettes came in a small preserving jar with crisp bread and cornichons along with a delicious dish of farro, tomato, mozzarella and something I had never heard of, black garlic royale. Next a bowl of plump mussels with jamon Serrano. I don’t think the mussels needed the Jamon and a few chunks of bread on the side rather than in would have been better. Next we had Dory with a slice of prawn mousse in a fumet of crab and coconut. Fish was excellent but the prawn mousse was a bit solid and the sauce a little too light on flavour. A small dish of gnocchi and mushroom was a joy, full of flavour as was the bavette of wagyu beef with a smear of puréed potato. If this sounds like a lot of food we are not finished yet! A small plate of soft, I think Comte and blue cheese served with lavash and then two desserts, Rhum Baba and a Crème Brûlée.
We found a Pinot Noir was a perfect match for the food. We went out into the dark and cold, happily sated!

This is a French restaurant, with very good food and wines. Don’t go looking for ‘Bar’ or ‘Modern Australian’ food, as it is written on Unilocal.Its purpose is a variety of good small plates and an excellent wine selection. I think the price is too high for what it offers.

I had to wait to write this review until I could breathe again properly. I’d go to Hell any day of the week. Well, I’d go BACK to Hell, because I’ve been once now, and it sure wasn’t enough to leave me satisfied. Don’t get me wrong, the food from the «let us feed you» $ 65 menu option was MORE than enough… but the memories won’t leave me alone. So please, please, someone, anyone, take me back to Hell.
I’d bookmarked Hell of the North but didn’t have any hard and fast plans to visit, so also hadn’t made any hard and fast booking. It was lucky I was on my lonesome on the Saturday evening in mid-​October I found myself nearby, because the place was packed to the gills… except for a little spot for me at the bar. Perfect, my favourite place for solo dining!
I started with a negroni that came with a huge and perfect sphere of ice. I love that there is a menu option that doesn’t require you to think but scores you lots of delicious food. This is my perfect menu. Now, to the sassy, French-​flavoured dining. A couple of tasty treats to start with in the form of a prawn twist and duck rillette were followed by a cauliflower vichyssoise with sweetbreads and white truffle. I’m glad I went with the no choices menu (though I was generously asked if I had any particular menu cravings or fears when I handed it back in, so did have an opportunity to speak and chose not to) because I would never have ordered this, but it turned out to be pretty great. I didn’t really doubt that it would be, but still, thinking about sweetbreads makes me feel weird…
The main was John Dory fish served with a prawn mousse and crab & coconut broth. The slab of mousse was much of a muchness but the fish and broth were delicious, and again not something I would normally pick out of a line-​up of menu items. The main came with a side of pommes frites and let’s take a moment to pay homage to these chips because they are WICKEDLY GOOD. By the end of the main I was stuffed to the gills myself and yet still took a painstakingly long amount of time to get through the last of those frites because I could not bare to leave a single one behind. Come with me in my stomach, frites, let us be happy together just for this one magical night.
Dessert was a very light serving of berries, cream, sorbet and meringue – a bit Eton mess-​y, I suppose. Not very exciting but to be honest I was so full that I was grateful for the light reprieve.
The food was great, the space was great, the staff were great (I joked with them all evening). Great, great, great job in Hell of the North.

This has to be one of my favourite restaurants of the north side. Actually make that of Melbourne. The perfect atmosphere inside and great service. We got a few dishes to share including the gnocchi, faro salad and fois gras terrine. We couldn’t fault anything. And the salted caramel dessert blew our mind. This is definitely on the list to go back to.
Oh and they make a pretty good espresso martini too.

On a night where the man and I were craving some tasty European wine somewhere other than the usual suspects, the string of 5 star reviews lead us to Hell of the North. Now I’m ready to add another 5’er to their page because *DAMN* this place is good.
The wine list is fantastic. By the glass or bottle, there is a great range here and my partner and I were craving different things but both easily satisfied.
For food we started with the tartare and a side of pomme frites. What on earth are they putting on those chips? It appeared to be a light dusting of cheese but given how addictive they were I’m more inclined to say crack. I don’t often get fries as a side let along wax lyrical about them, but these were that good. Steak tartare was top notch too, served with some tasty smoked tabasco.
For mains we had the most stunning melty-​gnocchi I’ve ever tasted and a super rich insides-​warming ox cheek. The ox cheek could have been cut with a spoon.
We couldn’t leave without giving the crème brûlée a crack while nudging some more wine. Left feeling bursting at the seams full, but I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

I really, really like this place.
I’ve been a few times now: once for a long, boozy lunch, once for post-​dinner cocktails, and once for impromptu oysters and wine. In all three situations, Hell of the North delivered.
The knowledgeable staff make helpful suggestions without being pushy, and really make you feel welcome and comfortable. Cocktails are made with love, wine is discussed at length, and the food is sophisticated but not pretentious. I also really dig the décor, particularly in winter — cosy, but still very cool.
Every time I come here, I wish I could stay longer. Grab a culinary partner in crime and settle in for a few hours; I highly doubt you’ll regret it.

One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time!
I’m usually not a fan of the set menu, as you tend to not get enough food (for my large appetite) and never the dishes you want, but boy oh boy was this set menu the bomb dizzly.
There were six of us and this is how it played out:
Charcuterie plate with endless warm bread — you know that I wiped that terrine bowl clean!
Cured salmon — flower petal garnishes win hearts!
Deconstructed beef bourguignon — cooked for 48 hours and oh so tender.
Mussels and frites — I’m a mussels freak!
Dessert — sorbet served with fresh berries and meringue, topped with crumbed shortbread — I have been thinking a lot about this dish since last week!
Crème Brulee — wasn’t as good as the other dishes.
Then just when you think there couldn’t possibly be any more… Cheese platters!
Drinks not included (obvs) but they have a killer cocktail list and would probably shake you up anything you wanted.
Staff were fun and attentive.
Take me back!

Best New Bars 2012
BY SHARKING FOR CHIPS AND DRINKS
I am sick of paying $ 18 plus for a run-​of-​the-​mill cocktail. No matter what your skillset is — don’t try and convince us that 3 – 4 minutes of your time and the ingredients are worth that much. I want a super-​duper experience if I am going to dapple in the dark side of mixology and the prices that come with it. I am as enthusiastic about shabby local bars as I am destination venues and everything in between. One type is not ‘better’ than another, it all just depends on what you are looking for. So how do I recognise if I am in one of these magical places? Community, passion, atmosphere and overall execution. These are a few joints I cherish:
Sitting just off the main stretch of Smith Street, this smart converted townhouse is a mix of bar and restaurant, with a pretty outside courtyard. Cosy and inviting in winter, laid-​back and airy in summer it serves a few well-​selected beers on tap, European wines and knows how to mix a mean dirty Martini. The ‘classic bistro’ food is top-​notch so, if you do get peckish, the team can swing into action and save you the next available table.