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Richmond Griffs

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

It’s one of the many old pubs in Fitzroy with a mixed history. After a sympathetic modernisation that kept all the nice old bits (the proportions, the ceiling, the dining room) and tidied up the rest (the bar, the upstairs, the basement), Griff’s is ready for its new life. It’s named for a family dog whose noble portrait hangs above the fireplace. It’s the kind of smart new pub where you could spend a few days in a row without being bored.

Come in and have a beer at the bar. The bar menu is full of interesting takes on old favourites, for instance hamburgers with pancetta, Gruyere and paprika onion rings or grilled fish and chips. Sit in one of the armchairs with a glass of wine from an unusually interesting list. If you’re sitting down to lunch or dinner in the restaurant, you’re in for a treat. Nicola Smith’s food is full of flavour and very elegantly presented, with a seasonally changing menu. In late spring there was a square of long-cooked pork belly served with asparagus and onion marmalade, and fillet of beef with mushrooms, spinach and red wine sauce. Desserts are worth the calories. If you’re celebrating, you can have a special dinner in the basement cellar, or plan a function upstairs. If you’d rather celebrate at home, you can buy wine to take back with you.

Rita Erlich, January 2007