Brooks of Melbourne

As with all fine dining, this experience was just as pleasant. Upon arrival we were offered a «drink at the bar» option which we took (really good whiskey sour). After some time we were moved to our table and the waiter and sommelier both offered excellent service. Not up stuck but gauging the audience and tuning to their needs. The food was what you expect from a fine dining establishment and the wine selection was varied enough with ample international choices as well as Australian varieties. Really warm and comfortable ambiance making one feel at home, meaning you’ll happily sit there most of the night. Would recommend it!

Sorry but I used to love Brooks.
Dirty glasses, dirty plates and average starters. (Squid an Chorizo and Maron) The prices dont reflect what you get. So many other places you can go for that amount of money and enjoy it.
Lost its touch completely and won’t return for more disappointment.
2 stars are for the service which was warm and welcoming.

5 Star Restaurant for 3 Star Price!
My girlfriend and I were visiting from San Francisco. We were looking for the best food Melbourne had to offer, on a traveler’s budget. Brooks popped up on a list we were looking at.
Disclaimer: We came for the lunch special. (Otherwise it’s a fancy restaurant with an appropriately priced menu.) But their lunch special can’t be beat — 3 course with wine for $ 49!
The food was amazing and we enjoyed the house wine so much we got the name of it so we could pick up some more.
Check out my photos and be sure to like them!

Came here to celebrate my birthday and had one of the most memorable dining experiences of my life.
Upon descending down the entrance remember to head right into the restaurant as the left is a private dining room.
The 7 course premium menu was exquisite, there was story behind each course and the wines were matched to perfection. The dishes served really showcased what French cuisine was like throughout the different periods with big and bold flavours such as foie gras to more subtle flavours like black truffle and marron.
To complete the night they served up a special rose shaped cheesecake and went the extra mile by placing my name and candles on the dessert.
The service is also great with attentive but not overbearing staff checking up on your meals at just the right time and when your not in the middle of a conversation :).
Value wise, Brooks is a little pricier than most however still great value because of the luxurious and quality ingredients used.
If your looking to celebrate a special occasion and want a true dining experience over and above fine dining then I would highly recommend Brooks of Melbourne.

Wine list of the Year, awarded by The Age Good Food Guide
Complete dining experience.

Very disappointed with this restaurant. Service was great and atmosphere is good. Food was very try hard, too experimental/​scientific, which didn’t work. Cutler & co have this style nailed. Wine very expensive and list full of unknowns which I suspect is a way of using mediocre wine and selling it at a premium and no one knows what bit is actually worth. Not very supportive of our local wine industry. Dinner for 4 cost close to $ 700. Overpriced and not worth it.

Amazing meal. We came as a part of 6 for a joint birthday and enjoyed the degustation menu; with added marron. Everything was delish and the cheesy mash will blow your mind.
The only negative is that toward to end of the meal, the waiter asked that we move to the bar after desert– before desert was served. Apparently even though you’ve spent $ 1500+ on food and wine, it doesn’t matter if there is another table waiting. (We weren’t told there was a time limit on our table.) Funny enough, they were able to accommodate the other table without moving us, but it was a shame to end the mean on such a sour note. They should have given it some through before saying anything.

Roast lamb is a must! And the artichok + egg

When a man friend said his most favourite thing in the world was roast chicken, I immediately knew that I needed to take him to Brooks for a decadent meal.
Chicken isn’t one of those things that I usually order because, well… «meh, it’s chicken. I can cook that at home». But I was once convinced by a food loving friend to share the roast chicken with her here and it has since haunted my dreams. It helps that it’s cooked by Nic Poelaert, one of Melbourne’s most well respected Fresh chefs. The breast and legs are cooked two different ways — the breast moist, with a crisp skin and the legs soft and unctuous, playing up to the slight gaminess of the darker meat. It is served family style at the table, with slow roasted onions and a tumble of fresh vegetables. On the side, a pot of the «Alligot» which by my interpretation means «loads of cheese, mixed with a little bit of potato, but which we will all pretend in just potato».
When the chicken arrived at the table and I served my man friend a portion of the meat, vegetables, Alligot and covered the lot with the chicken pan juices. I thought, just for a second, that he was going to propose to me.
This was after we’d already had glasses of Champagne and nibbled on pillows of chicken liver parfait at the bar, and then worked our way through the meli melo — a dish which will have you wanting to eat all of your vegetables. It is one of the most beautiful dishes you may ever eat, and being purely made of around 35 vegetables it’s a wise choice before attempting to eat an entire chicken between two people.

A very very small meal. If I worked here I’d be embarrassed to serve what they served me. Service was good, but needed the meal to be five times larger and for the price paid. Will not go back.

Brooks is the new restaurant and bar from Gerald’s Bar owners Gerald Diffey and Mario Di Ienno, in collaboration with chef Nic Poelaert. Nic has been serving Modern French dishes at his Carlton restaurant Embrasse for the past three years, but with Embrasse closing its doors last weekend, Nic and the kitchen team have moved to new adventures at Brooks.
The design brings a lightness to the subterranean dining space, while the bar area (and private dining room) goes for warm and inviting darker tones. A smaller dining room gazes into the open kitchen, with a larger space off to the side. The service is efficient without being intrusive and the first dishes arrive quickly, with the perfect pacing continuing throughout the meal. The wine list, by former Circa sommelier Matt Brooke, provides a strong range of Australian, and international, wines by the glass and bottle.
The menu is split into two sections: the first offers dishes that will likely feature on the menu all year round and takes more of a share approach with various ‘platters’ and dishes for two; the second are entrée-​sized seasonal dishes served à la carte or a five-​course chef’s selection. There are some nostalgic call-​backs to Embrasse with the ‘meli melo’ and ‘Forest Floor’ both appearing. Nic’s food always celebrates seasonality, with a simplicity that lets the quality of the produce speak for itself, and the dishes at Brooks are no different. We decide to explore the sharing area of the menu, leaving the seasonal degustation until our next visit, although we do sample the two desserts from the seasonal offerings.
A luxurious parfait ensconced in a delicate shell of rye bread, with a glistening pearl of blackcurrant jam on top, beg to be savoured with a glass of wine (on this occasion a Pinot Noir from Central Otago). It’s not hard to see that they’re going to become a firm fixture on the menu, the perfect bar snack to accompany an after-​work drink. We also choose the charcuterie selection with paper-​thin ribbons of glorious Warialda bresaola, a delicately spiced chorizo, and hearty slices of saucisson.
Moving to heartier fare we decide to share the roasted Glenloth chicken for two, with another Embrasse favourite on the side, the aligot now going by the more descriptive ‘cheesy mash’. The oven-​roasted chicken breasts are executed perfectly, being moist and tender, with well-​seasoned crispy skin. Oddly the confit chicken legs weren’t as luscious as the breast, although the meat did still fall away from the bone. Seasonal zucchini, or should that be courgette, and green beans are served tender but still retain that al dente bite and vibrant green of spring. The cheesy mash is as much of a highlight here as it was at Embrasse, and still requires skill to coax the oozing, stretchy mash onto the plate. Served with jus gras and mustard on the side, this was an elegant take on the roast, wonderful on a chilly Melbourne spring day.
If the whole menu can be considered concise, then the dessert selection is very to-​the-​point, with just two options. However, between two people, two options worked perfectly as there was no indecision about ordering both. The take on lemon meringue offers a light and vibrant end to the meal, but does lack a little ‘wow’ factor. However the ‘Forest Floor’ continues to impress, a mushroom made of a crunchy meringue stalk and a decadent chocolate and hazelnut parfait cap, and the granita lending a bitter herbaceous note that offsets the rich chocolate elements.
Brooks is definitely going to be one of those CBD hotspots, offering casual fine dining with perfectly executed crowd favourites and seasonal dishes that sing with Nic Poelaert’s elegant simplicity.

Brooks of Melbourne is the longed for (by me at least) slicker, city outpost of the eponymous Gerald’s Bar. Placed in the old Momo –15 — Kitchen Kat space underneath the Hyatt it’s a bit too close to my work place (Way too tempting).
Location aside, they make a damn fine negroni and the bar and one of my favourite chefs, Nicolas Poelaert is running the kitchen. What more could a girl want?
Comfortable banquette that is actually the correct height for the tables? TICK
Has space put aside for reservations and walk ins? TICK
Long bar at which to lounge and chat about various booze? TICK
Tasty, tasty food in a variety of serving sizes so you can feed a small or massive hunger? TICK
Service that just quietly rocks? TICK
Caviar? TICK
Private dining room (rum locker) so I can arrange a decadent dinner function? TICK
From the moment you’re greeted at the top of the stairs by Gentleman Jake the feeling that you’re somewhere special doesn’t end. Do go.