When Andrew McConnell opened Cutler & Co on Gertrude Street in 2009, he committed to a proposition that has proven correct year after year: that the finest food in Melbourne does not have to be served in the CBD. The building — a former metal fabrication workshop in Fitzroy — provided the bones of an interior that could not have been designed from scratch: high industrial ceilings, exposed brick, natural light that changes the character of the room through the day. The kitchen, visible from the dining room, operates as testament to McConnell's belief that cooking at this level should be seen as well as tasted.
The menu operates on three tracks. The chef's selection changes daily, driven entirely by what arrived that morning — this is a menu for those who want to eat what is most alive in Melbourne's markets and farms on a given day, and it requires complete trust in the kitchen, which is entirely warranted. The a la carte menu provides the anchor: dry-aged steak built for two, whole roasted chicken with seasonal accompaniments, fish prepared with the kind of simplicity that only extreme quality makes possible. The Sunday lunch menu is a Melbourne institution — a long, unhurried service that draws regulars from across the city who understand that eating well in the middle of a Sunday afternoon is one of the more civilised things a person can do.
Since its 2017 Time Out Best Fine Diner Award, Cutler has continued to evolve while maintaining the core discipline that established it. The wine list is deep in Australian producers, particularly from Victoria and South Australia, with a natural wine selection that reflects Fitzroy's cultural character without tipping into affectation. Service is warm, direct, and deeply informed — the kind of hospitality that the neighbourhood has always excelled at, elevated to a register appropriate to the kitchen's ambition.
A reservation at Cutler on a Thursday or Friday evening is among the most pleasurable experiences in Melbourne's dining calendar. The room fills early, the noise level rises to a productive hum, and the food justifies every moment of the effort required to secure a table. Weekend evenings require more notice; Sunday lunch should be booked at least two weeks ahead. Those who arrive without a reservation can sometimes access the bar, which operates as an excellent venue in its own right.
