A week in Melbourne, Australia- 5/4- 5/10/2024

Day 1-Dinner at Flint-5/4/2024

Flint is located on Smith street in Fitzroy and their entire menu is cooked over fire, smoke, and charcoal and there are no traditional ovens in use. This method infuses everything with dramatic, charred flavors that guests rave about.  Flint won the 2023 Time Out Melbourne Food & Drink Award for Innovation, praised for combining fermentation and flame in creative ways.

Chef & Owner Nicki Morrison is the driving force behind Flint, with a rich culinary background and years traveling and cooking across Europe, including on luxury yachts. She then brought her skills to Melbourne’s San Telmo steakhouse, working with charcoal for a year. It was there she met sous-chef Yukio Endo, and the idea for Flint was born. Sous-Chef Yukio Endo brought in from San Telmo as well,  shares Nicki’s passion for flame-driven cooking, and the two lead the kitchen with perfect harmony.

Flint launched around October 2022, in a site that previously housed a Japanese takeaway for around 25 years. The space underwent a seven-month renovation to become the elegant, fire-centered restaurant it is today.

The dining room is dark, moody, and charcoal-lined, with a sweeping handcrafted bar, lingering incense scents, and an open kitchen right at its heart.

Our table is next to the kitchen and we had a complete view of the kitchen.

Here you can see that our table is really close to the counter/bar and the kitchen.

Watching the chef at work in the open-fire kitchen is part of the Flint experience. The flames from the charcoal grill and hearth aren’t just for show, they’re the heart of the cooking, searing steaks, roasting vegetables, and even caramelizing sauces. It feels theatrical, but at the same time rustic and primal, connecting every dish (and even the cocktails) back to the fire at the center of the restaurant.

Simple table set up.

The menu and our drinks.

The Carrot Sour is one of Flint’s signature drinks. Instead of a standard citrus base, it’s made with carrot brine left over from their fermentation process giving it a tangy, earthy brightness. Shaken with spirits and balanced with a touch of sweetness, it’s smooth yet refreshing, and a clever way the restaurant extends its fire-and-fermentation philosophy from the food into the drinks.

Cheers!

Chef working on our first 3 dishes.

Starting the meal with a trio of appetizers.

Coffin Bay SA, Natural Oysters.

Coffin Bay oysters come from Coffin Bay, a pristine inlet on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The waters there are exceptionally clean, cold, and nutrient-rich, which creates perfect growing conditions for oysters. Coffin Bay has become almost synonymous with premium oysters, much like Champagne is with sparkling wine.

 The second version is a Coffin Bay SA  oysters with pomegranate & Dashi.

The Coffin Bay oysters are large, plump, and sweet, with a clean, briny flavor and a creamy texture. Many people consider them among the best oysters in Australia, and they’re highly sought after in restaurants both locally and internationally. We also like the pomegranate and dashi sauce.

Seeded sourdough, Bone Marrow, Koji butter. 

Koji is type of mold that’s used in Japanese and East Asian cooking to ferment foods. Here the butter that’s been infused with koji, combining the richness of dairy fat with the deep umami flavor that koji creates. The enzymes from the koji break down proteins and sugars in the butter, producing savory, nutty, slightly sweet notes that are a bit like miso or parmesan, but silkier thanks to the butter.

Mussel escabeche, Coffee emulsion.

Mussel escabeche is a dish where mussels are gently poached, then marinated in a tangy, aromatic mixture of vinegar, olive oil, herbs, and spices. It’s a technique with Spanish roots, designed to enhance the seafood’s natural sweetness while adding a bright, slightly acidic lift. At Flint, the mussels would already have that smoky depth from being cooked over fire before they’re finished in the escabeche marinade.

The coffee emulsion adds a surprising layer: smooth and creamy in texture, with bitter, roasted notes that play beautifully against the briny mussels and sharp escabeche. Together, the flavors create a balance of sweetness from the shellfish, tang from the marinade, creaminess from the emulsion, and a subtle earthy bitterness from the coffee. The result is complex but harmonious, a dish that feels both refined and adventurous.

Burned lettuce, pistachio, anchovy.

This dish is a perfect example of Flint’s fire-driven creativity. The burned lettuce isn’t charred to bitterness, it’s kissed by flame until the outer leaves take on smoky, caramelized edges, while the inside stays tender and slightly sweet. This transforms something simple and familiar into something bold and surprising.

 The anchovy element brings a deep, salty umami punch that balances the sweetness of the lettuce, while the pistachios add both crunch and a nutty richness. Together, the flavors move from smoky to salty to nutty, with a satisfying play of textures, soft, crisp, and crunchy all on one plate. It’s the kind of dish that sounds humble at first but ends up being memorable because of how it layers fire, flavor, and texture.

Kingfish tataki, fermented grape and garlic.

The Kingfish tataki is a refined dish with fresh kingfish lightly seared on the outside over flame, leaving the center raw and silky. This gives it both a delicate smokiness and the clean, ocean-sweet flavor of sashimi.

The fermented grape adds a bright, slightly tangy-sweet note with just a touch of funk from fermentation, which cuts through the richness of the fish. The garlic component, likely mellowed by roasting or smoking, brings warmth and depth without overpowering the delicate kingfish. Altogether, the dish feels balanced and elegant, clean and fresh from the fish, lifted by fruity acidity, and grounded by gentle smokiness and savory garlic. It’s a beautiful play of light and dark flavors.

The "Carrot Carrot" is Flint’s signature dish, and it really showcases their philosophy of fire and fermentation. At its heart is a silky fermented carrot purée, layered with a touch of tang and depth from the fermentation process. On top are slices of charred carrot, flame-seared so they’re smoky and slightly sweet, with caramelized edges. The whole thing rests on a bed of house-made labneh, rich and garlicky, which adds creaminess and a cooling contrast to the smoky-sweet carrots.

The flavors move in waves from bright and tangy from the purée, smoky-sweet from the charred carrot, and savory-creamy from the labneh, tied together by a hint of butter. It’s deceptively simple in appearance but layered with technique, making a humble vegetable feel luxurious and exciting.

Margra koji marinated lamb rump, romesco sauce, puffed rice.

The Marga koji-marinated lamb rump is tender and flavorful, the koji bringing deep umami and subtle sweetness while enhancing the meat’s natural richness. Grilled over Flint’s open fire, the lamb has a delicate smokiness and caramelized crust that makes each bite succulent and savory. The romesco sauce, with its roasted red peppers, nuts, and garlic, adds a bold, nutty, slightly smoky tang, complementing the lamb’s depth perfectly. The puffed rice provides a playful crunch and textural contrast, turning each mouthful into a combination of tender, saucy, and crisp sensations.

Altogether, it’s a dish that balances richness, smoke, umami, and texture, a fitting, dramatic conclusion to a fire-focused, inventive meal.

Dining at Flint in Fitzroy was a feast for the senses. We began with a trio of appetizers: Coffin Bay oysters natural, fresh and briny; oysters topped with pomegranate and dashi, bright, tangy, and umami-rich; and seeded sourdough with bone marrow and koji butter, smoky, savory, and indulgent. The open-fire kitchen set a dramatic stage as each dish arrived, smoky, vibrant, and full of depth.  We then enjoyed mussel escabeche with coffee emulsion, burned lettuce with pistachio and anchovy, and the delicate kingfish tataki with fermented grape and garlic, each bite layered with surprising flavors. The signature “Carrot, Carrot” elevated simple ingredients into a smoky, tangy, and creamy masterpiece, and the koji-marinated lamb rump with romesco and puffed rice was a rich, umami-packed finale. Paired with a tangy Carrot Sour cocktail, the meal perfectly captured Flint’s inventive, fire-driven philosophy, leaving us inspired and delighted.

NEXT... The great Ocean drive