Brutale 2.0

Really good grub. The menu is short but most of what’s on it goes down a treat.
We met up with friends here once and the staff were great about us continually adding more chairs and eventually moving to a bigger table. They had a really chilled out mix on that night too and were able to point us to the DJ online.
The seating running along the front wall is a bit uncomfortable but not like you’d complain.

A place for the Meat Eaters. Ok my mistake, I took a vegetarian here.
This restaurant is really nice and well presented. With its quirky interior from the helmet light covers, to the amazing wall art of people riding bikes with pig heads.
We attended here on a Saturday night with a group of 5. It seemed alot of the tables were booked and only 4 seat booths left. However the waitress was accommodating and we made it work.
I advised that one of the guest was a vegiterian, and once we got past the first look of «what are you doing here» lol she then went and spoke to the chef, and advised that the chef will put something «special» together for the vego.
Other than that, the rest of us went on to order «ALL» of the meat. And omg, the food was amazing, we had Beef Cheek special, pork belly, cheese platter, and king prawns. It was such a delight. Its the kind of place you would order a pile of dishes and everyone shares, I love this kind of restaurant (tapas style)
Everything had a hint of Croatia in it with the Rakija in mostly every dish.
We all enjoyed our experience there, the waitress was amazing and we walked out totatly full and it wasnt expensive.

Brutale 2.0 post renovations — still there is the same friendly service, the fab Balkan spirits and wine, the food is interesting, delicious and crafted with love and care, and yes the only donuts worth eating. Gone is the full Balkan restaurant menu, replaced by a paper placemat with about a dozen dishes only. The aim is for a hipper younger bar snack crowd. While the quality is still there, I am left with nostalgia for Brutale 1.0 and the memorable dishes like baked fish with grapes will alas remain just memories.

Just terrible. The triple treat of slow service, high prices and lousy food. Our food took over an hour to arrive. The steaks were cold and undercooked. The side serves of chips were $ 4 each and tiny. Would not go anywhere near this again.

This place is fairly new but very good. It’s essentially a really good Eastern European restaurant. Technically Croatian but there were many dishes that brought me back to my Russian childhood.
Great wines and even Croatia’s answer to coke.
All the dishes were well balanced and seasoned well. Nothing I could fault them on except for being a bit new and slightly awkward. With time I suspect that will change.

Brutale has been open for a few months now, and sits proudly as one
of Melbourne’s finest examples of Eastern European food, service and dining.
It’s entry may be low-​key and out of the way, but inside the space is refined,
intimate and inviting. Open brick walls set the the theme for the welcoming dining room, which, has signature art of Brutale scattered around the walls. The bar is
modern, with a pleasant layout. Music is in the background but isn’t the tired same
old stale playlists that you might find in the majority of places.
Daniel Dobra the head chef, and his team are the brains and skill behind the wonderful food, with Hanou running the bar and expertly delivering service on the floor, and as with every-​other staff, each one will take good care of you.
Service is warm, honest and attentive, and tailored in the way that involves you in the dining experience rather than leaving you baffled and left out or overwhelmed from a barrage of information. You get background and history of each dish; it’s story and significance within Brutale itself.
Brutale will get busy, It’s time to re-​think eastern European and it’s time to dine here.
The food is amongst the tastiest and most flavoursome I’ve tried in a long time. There’s no stodgy and dull bland dishes here. To begin your meal there’s a number of excellent choices; the roasted paprika in a rich sauce, delivering great depth of flavour and tender sweet pepper. Grilled calamari in a divine herb– garlic sauce that moves off the plate very quickly, Pierogi, which is essentially a must
when dining here, as is, the stuffed steak with cheese.
In terms of the food Brutal can’t set a foot wrong, and Svinja which is the cured meat plate, with four types of treats is testament to that. The stuffed peppers with wild boar meat is incredible, and the spit roast pork with beautiful apple sauce and excellent crackling is another must. Goluash is another highly rated dish; and the slow cooking as well as the combination of deep rich flavours are at the fore.
Then there’s father’s chips; you haven’t had chips like these before. Highly fresh and cooked to order, these are crispy on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside. That’s essentially perfection. Once you’ve tried this, any other chips are rendered inferior.
Rakija is an alcoholic spirit and is central to everything that is done at Brutale. You can start out with the more traditional examples and then move on to pear and even honey infused Rajika. There’s even a herbal version no too dissimilar to Jagermister. To end the meal, Brutale has on offer a few things; but to my mind, the Croatian donuts are the best; little doughy balls of awesomeness combined with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. These are served with an equally as good hazelnut cream. One of the best dining experiences I’ve had the pleasure to partake in for a long time.
You really should get down to experience it all, Brutale look set to become one of Melbourne’s favourites. The Brutale experience is one to be shared with friends,
food in the middle of the table as you get to try any number of dishes. It is also one that does not need to be rushed. You can take your time and have a great meal here. spending time well with good friends and amazing food.