European delights

It was a miserable, wintery old Saturday morning and my girlfriends and I were about to gnaw off our own arms in hunger. I decided we should go on a recommendation and use trusty Google maps to find the esteemed Melbourne dining institution, known simply as The European. I admit, I had been begged to try this place by my food-loving Dad who lives hours away in a sleepy Queensland country town and spends much of his spare time living vicariously through my city-dwelling-restaurant-hopping experiences. So I thought I should take one for the team and try this place he had heard so much about. It's a tough gig, but someone's gotta do it! 


Located up the top of Spring Street, opposite Parliament building in the Melbourne CBD, The European really is reminiscent of a bustling timber-furnished restaurant you would expect to find in Europe. The warm interior, big chalk-scrawled blackboards and rustic decor are defining features that make this place so inviting. But it was the culinary fare that really resonated with us.

To begin, I embraced the chance to order a freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice. It's not very often you see that on a restaurant menu and if you do, it comes 'fresh'...from a bottle. But this was straight-up, no-bullshit, pink, sweet, refreshing, tangy, invigorating goodness directly from the fruit itself. And it was damn good. (Yes, so damn good that I did need to squish every one of those adjectives in there to make sure I highlighted just how epicly good it was.) I downed it in a blink and had to be restrained from ordering seconds. In hindsight I was grateful my girlfriends kept me under control, because it meant I still had plenty of tummy-room for the scrumptious delights that were still to come. 

K ordered the Breakfast Bruschetta, which came with roasted mushrooms, pancetta, poached egg and roquette, R chose the Breakfast Crumble with cinnamon poached fruit and yoghurt, while I surrendered to my cravings and requested The European Breakfast: poached eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomato and crusty toast. Sounds like your standard 'big breaky' and on paper it was, but on the plate, it was so much more. And because that combination didn't seem like enough fat and grease, I lashed out and got a serve of hollandaise on the side. What a ridiculously good choice that was! Buttery, creamy, velvety, slightly tangy, melt-in-your-mouth, heart-stopping, artery-clogging flawlessness! It was hollandaise perfection. Yes, I tried all three breakies and yes they were all amazing in their own right, but - wow - I truly could have eaten a bucket of that hollandaise on its own. Naughty, maybe. But so worth it.

John Lethlean summed it up perfectly in his 2006 review for Epicure: "...The European is not Spanish... Nor is it French, Italian, Austrian or Greek. The European is a hybrid creation that evokes memories (and the occasional bit of longing) for the wine bars and cafes of all those places; and the extent to which the concept resonates with Melbournians can be measured in the place's longevity..." 

I can't argue with that. Here's to heavenly hollandaise and having our very own taste of Europe right at our doorstep.

The European

161 Spring Street

MELBOURNE

Ph: 03 96540811