Fenix
9427 8500, 680 Victoria St, Richmond. VIC 3121 www.fenix.com.auOpen Mon-Sat 8am-late Sun 8am-3.30pm,; Licensed; AE DC MC V EFT, Seats inside 215, Outside seats, Private room 16-200, Kids welcomed
Chef: Raymond Capaldi & Gary Mehigan (7-11-07) Owner: Raymond Capaldi & Gary Mehigan (7-11-07)
Mietta's Review
If only for the view from the terrace overlooking the Yarra, this restaurant rates well, but there is more than that - there are Raymond Capaldi's incredibly elaborate, carefully prepared and cooked, classically inspired menus which he produces for well-heeled diners in the cafe and for private functions. These days Raymond has spread his wings and flown headlong into molecular gastronomy with some excellent results and some less so.
Other Published Opinions
Age Good Food Guide 2012 Score: 13.5/20
The Australian John Lethlean, 19-11-2010 "Fenix is all about Gary. There are copies of the book for sale and the breezy spring menu actually has a section: "Gary's comfort food for two". ... And the location is still its prime asset: Fenix is a brilliant fine-weather destination. ... The food is very pleasant. In a safe kind of way. There are small plates and entrees, mains and "Gary's" sharers: contemporary bistro food, mostly, with a pan-Mediterranean accent and the odd bit of Asian dialect thrown in."
The Age Larissa Dubecki, 24-08-2010 Score: 13.5/20
Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 15.5/20, One Hat "Is there no stopping Raymond Capaldi? The chef transformed his restaurant in 2007 to make this cutting-edge diner even braver - and better"
Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "Books shouldn't be judged by their covers; a look at this refined dining room will not prepare you for the modernist creativity lurking within"
Age Epicure Restaurants, Michael Harden, 3-10-06 Score: 15.5/20 "Fenix's new dining room is a vast improvement on the old. For starters, it is now diners rather than bartenders who get the best views of the Victoria Street bridge and Hawthorn on the Yarra's opposite bank. The enormous, domineering bar has shrunk and retreated back into the room (although with its new marble and wood persona it remains a commanding presence), leaving the freshly carpeted area in front of the curved wall of windows for the well-spaced, generously proportioned tables and comfortable armchairs upholstered in bonecoloured micro suede."
Herald Sun Eat, Bob Hart, 23-9-06 "MASTERCHEF Raymond Capaldi, who owns and operates this admirable establishment, is fiercely Scottish and intensely passionate. Which means that when he is in full cry, he can be a bit difficult to understand. Like Billy Connolly on diet pills, in fact.But mercifully, Capaldi lets his food do the talking these days. And suddenly, that food is speaking in accents new to Melbourne, but which we are quickly going to learn to understand.His restaurant has undergone a refit. And as I discovered when I tackled his new menu last week, the embellishments have delivered a more appropriate backdrop to his extraordinary food."
The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 14/20 "It's got a winning location, nestled into the Yarra bank, its semi-circular glass frontage facing the water. It's got credentialled owners with solid hotel backgrounds. And it's got a loyal following among professional couples, business people and linen-clad locals. But Fenix still seems uncertain about what it wants to be."
Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "stick with the simpler stuff. Service continues to be marred by delays and lapses in concentration ("There you are, sir," remarks a waiter placing a dish before two women.)"
The Age Good Food Guide 2006 Outdoor Seating "Inner-city dwellers enjoy broad river views with Raymond Capaldi's innovative dishes at this smart Yarra-s de restaurant"
The Age Good Food Guide 2005 "Staff are calm and professional, rather than personality-packed, much like the interior. The ground floor is divided into a blandly decorated dining room and a blondwood cafe, with stairs spiralling up to the function area. For warm days, there's a lovely shaded terrace overlooking the river."
Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide "It looks like the competent, corporate diner, and indeed, Fenix can be that. In a cracking riverside location, you can dine without taking a walk on the wild side. Chefs/owners, Gary Mehigan and Raymond Capaldi, know how to keep a conservative audience happy with classical dishes."
HERALD SUN Stephen Downes score 18/20 7/9/04 "A serious Scotsman of Italian origin, Raymond Capaldi has never struck me as an exhibitionist. But he shows off brilliantly at Fenix. The service is excellent, the wine list relatively short for such a fine restaurant. Bottle prices are high but take refuge in the five table whites and reds by glass."
The Age Cheap Eats 2004,'When the weather is warm there's no nicer place to sit than Felix's balconey,with the Yarra ambling past.Stick to the cafe menu and you'll avoid waterfront prices.'
The Age, A2, 26/6/04, Jane Faulkner,'Experiments aside,in the past few years Fenix has gone from strength to strength.For more casual dining.there's a bar and cafe section to one side of this open-plan space,with the restaurant proper to the other,which is a comfortable,attractive space.'
The Age, Agenda, 16/5/04,Roslyn Grundy,'it's wacky,but it seems to work...aims to challenge preconceptions.Things that you'd expect to be hot are not,and savoury dishes are teamed with sweet ingrediants, and vice versa...the menu is a curious mix of the convential and the downright bizarre'
The Foodies' Guide 2004, Allan Campion & Michele Curtis,'A fair few passing cyclists have been tempted to stop here for the coffee and pleasant river views.Much easier,though,to drive,eat your fill and not have to worry about the bikeride home.'
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 1 Red Star,'orchestrate modern French, Australian and Asian culinary themes into imaginative dishes that surprise with their bold harmonics of flavour and delight with their compostion...also a great spot for breakfast.'
AGFG 04
Age Epicure 28/12/03 John Lethlean
AGFG 03
Herald Sun, sunday magazine, 2003, Sally Fisher
The Herald Sun (Weekend), 02.01.02, Bob Hart
The Sunday Age, 15.10.00, John Hindle.
The Herald Sun, 22.08.00, Michael Harden