Jesse Gerner & Friends Launch Impressive Park Street Dining Restaurant
Park Street Dining in Carlton North may become your new best friend cafe and restaurant. The World Loves Melbourne was invited to experience Park St Dining from Melbourne foodie royalty, and we were super impressed! After a refit that began in mid-August, the cafe formerly known as Green Park is now Park Street with a new look and (some) new owners. An all-day cafe remains, accommodating locals and families with breakfast and lunch menus. A change of focus in the evening brings a refreshed menu built around changing cicchetti and pastas.
The word "approachable" came up at our table several times. This is a light and airy welcoming space, even a community hub. The place was packed on a weekday lunchtime with seeming groups of friends, couples and parents with kids. The menu was approachable too with a broad selection while being affordable and keen on quality. If you're looking for a place to catch up that ticks all the boxes this could become your new hang out.
Light, airy, spacious, stylish, approachable, Park St Dining is a welcoming restaurant.
Park St is a collaboration extraordinaire from experienced hands in the hospitality industry. Longtime co-owner and chef, Jesse Gerner has brought partners from his other businesses, chef Russell Hall (Añada), chef Andrew Fisk (Bomba, Samuel Pepys), Kelly O’Loghlen (Bomba, Samuel Pepys), and Shane Barrett (Bomba, Samuel Pepys, Nómada) into the fold in Carlton North.
Utilising Park Street’s kitchen garden and a solid stable of local suppliers, Hall, Fisk and Gerner have designed breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that are built to feed and maintain the strong local and family audience who love this location. Good move.
The lighter, brighter space has been fitted by builder Donald Russell with the interior designed by Vanessa Gerner. There’s an open kitchen, communal tables and a more flexible events offering. We heard that a wall had been taken out. Having visited this venue before in its previous incarnations, we were impressed by the transformation. Gone with the grunge, in with modern design and chic.
Jesse Gerner and Hilary McNevin.
Breakfast and lunch menus include dishes like a waffle filled with PX-braised beef cheek and cavolo nero or suckling pig roll with kale slaw alongside house-cured bacon, eggs, granolas and sides. As we said, approachable, but also done extremely well!
Impressive wine list.
Park St Pie has already become a favourite of the Melbourne cafe scene.
An exciting attraction is Park St after dark - with an Italian theme! Park Street has shifted its dinner focus to introduce an Italian-influenced menu five nights a week. Think cicchetti - wood-grilled sardines wrapped in pancetta, poached veal crostini, oysters, charcuterie - and a changing selection of hand-made pastas, perhaps braised duck rotolo with wood-grilled radicchio or prawn agnolotti with shellfish bisque. Main courses include roasted barramundi fillet with braised clams, and wood-grilled O’Connor flank steak with salsa verde.
Pasta dish was a rustic combination of crab and pippi.
Healthy options.
The team are pleased to welcome sommelier Vicki Brewer into the fold, working alongside co-owner Shane Barrett to create a Mediterranean-focused wine list. Brewer has worked at various venues in Melbourne, including Woodland House in Prahran and Smalls Wine Bar in South Melbourne. Brewer says, “The Park Street wine list will have interesting and well-crafted wines from Italy, Southern France, Greece and Croatia, and the by-the-glass program will feature innovative, small-scale wineries, as well as delicious, classic producers and varietals.”
Kelly O’Loghlen (Bomba, Samuel Pepys) left pictured with chef Russell Hall (Añada) right.
Keep an eye on the growth of Park Street events. The space has been opened up to be more amenable to large group functions. Groups of over 24 guests can have their own private dining options in evenings and there’s room for weddings or private parties for up to 120 guests. We think perfect!
Park Street will continue the Green Park tradition of serving Capital Coffee Roasters blends, and baking in-house pastries and breads daily. Park Street also remains committed to supporting various environmental causes within and around the local community, including their well-established composting and recycling program. Bravo to Jesse and friends on this new venture - already a winner.
Address: 815 Nicholson Street, Carlton North VIC 3054
Website: parkstreetdining.com.
Opening Hours: Mon & Tues 7:30am-4pm; Wed-Sun 7:30am-10pm
Owners: Jesse Gerner (Bomba, Añada, Nómada, Samuel Pepys), chef Russell Hall (Añada), chef Andrew Fisk (Bomba, Samuel Pepys), Kelly O’Loghlen (Bomba, Samuel Pepys), Shane Barrett (Bomba, Nómada, Samuel Pepys), Harry Fishman (Velo Cycles)