KEY POINTS:
Auckland could soon be on Jamie Oliver's menu. The British chef's fourth Fifteen restaurant, a charity training venture designed to give disadvantaged kids a break in the food industry, opened six weeks ago in Melbourne. Cameras were rolling, with TV show Jamie's Kitchen Australia tracking how the 20 staff, whittled down from 350 applicants, went about their business.
Fifteen Melbourne's livewire New Zealand general manager Carl Forrest says Oliver is keen to expand, and rather than a second Australian site New Zealand might be next. But that's no promise and if you're keen to try out Fifteen Melbourne, join the queue.
Forrest, who worked in the London Fifteen, says there's a strong Kiwi connection through several other start-up staff.
Sydney might seem the logical next spot, but the organisation is keen on going global and he reckons Auckland is big enough to be in the running.
Forrest says the restaurant has to make the grade for more than good intentions. So it has to prove itself in notoriously demanding Melbourne. "The food has to be top-notch," he says.
The restaurant, led by chef Tobie Puttock, is already heavily booked for dinner, with more chance of getting a table for lunch, but Forrest keeps tables in reserve for late release.
The inner-city basement space is open plan, allowing diners to enjoy the theatre of food preparation. Fresh herbs and seasonal produce feature in a Mediterranean-inspired menu that changes daily.
Trainees, aged 16 to 24, spent an intensive couple of months at culinary boot camp before opening.
Jamie Oliver will be back when the first lot of Melbourne trainees graduates and a new intake begins.
FROM THE MENU
Bar food
Deep-fried tuna with stuffed olives $6.50.
Sardine fillets with fennel, pinenuts, lemon zest, dried chilli and breadcrumbs, $12.
Charcuterie platter $19.
Degustation dinner
Sample menu
Borlotti bean and pasta soup with fresh parmesan and olive oil.
Fried whitebait with sage salt, lemon and aioli.
Ravioli with bio-dynamic ricotta and free-range egg yolk, served with white asparagus and butter broth or risotto of prosciutto, thyme, spinach and stracchino.
Slow-roast organic lamb, Nicola potato, fennel al forno, braised silverbeet and salsa verde or pan-roasted Tasmanian salmon, marinated spring vegetables and black olive sauce.
Vialano nano tiramisu with crostoli.
Cheese selection with pear, quince paste, muscatels and grissini.
Tea and coffee.
$90 for the dinner tasting menu. $150 with international wine matches.
* Fifteen. Basement 115-117 Collins St. Open Monday to Saturday for bar snacks, a la carte lunch and degustation dinner.
Reservations: 1300 799-415 or 8648-6011.
