Brunswick Blog

POSTMISTRESS, Brunswick East - Win an Italian Dinner for 2!

Postmistress, the darling of Brunswick West fills the gap that locals have wanted filled for years…Original in style, this quality Italian restaurant lives in the heart of our suburb.  Plating up authentic wood-oven fired pizzas, handmade pasta dishes that taste like your nonna made them & they know how to make a cocktail too…Postmistress is pumping every weekend & for good reason.  

We're also giving away a 'Dinner for Two' valued at $150! To enter, visit our Facebook Profile, HERE 

We had a chat with one of the owners Pat about the restaurant locals love…

 We absolutely love that Postmistress is situated in the heart of Brunswick West’s residential pocket. There’s nothing more alluring & exciting than an up-market restaurant that looks like it’s been brought to life specifically for Gertrude St, Fitzroy or Chapel St, South Yarra, but instead all this effort is for us, the locals, as it’s tucked away right amongst us all. We feel a real sense of pride to finally have such a beautiful place to eat & drink right at our doorstep…what lead you to choose this unsuspecting corner as the home for Postmistress…

So, one of our business partners came to us one day and said that there is a great corner building up for tender in Brunswick West, on Melville Road. At this stage we were operating Cantina Centrale in leafy Mont Albert.

After a few discussions, we got the chance to look at the building and straight away we were mesmorised. We were super excited to have the chance to occupy this space for its look and especially for the location.

As soon as we signed the lease, we could not wait to get in to create what we have to show today. We love that the locals have been so supportive of Postmistress and we hope we can continue to give something back to them.

 

Let’s talk food…We’re in love with your menu; you’ve got all the authentic rustic classics that people crave when they go out for Italian. Our personal fave is your Casarecce twisted pasta with smoked eggplant, basil, sugo & the grated salted ricotta, tastes just like our nonna made it…What are the top 3 dishes your head chef Hugo Diaz suggests new comers try?

Perfect timing to talk about our menu as we are implementing a new menu to go live in July. Some of our classic dishes like the lamb ragu pasta, calamari and house made ricotta gnocchi remain on the menu to go with our new spaghettoni pescatora (seafood pasta), fusilli with a mushroom ragu (great for our vegetarian friends) & our pasta special, leaving it up to Hugo and his team to create a new pasta dish weekly.

The Visciano wood fire oven takes 90 seconds to cook one of our many traditional style pizzas, with the help of our great pizzaioli of course……the Brucio Culo (spicy salami) a real favourite not to mention our new Melanzans pizza with eggplant, fior di latte, basil, garlic and ricotta.

The custom built coal char grill churns out beautiful bbq chicken fillets or locally made pork & fennel salsiccia (sausage). The BBQ whole baby snapper special generally sells out within the first sitting.

Leave space for desserts as they are a must. Bread & Butter pudding is made with Italian panettone, the classic tiramisu  and our take on trifle with amaretto jelly, house made sponge, chocolate custard and topped with fresh berries. Best thing, this is diary free as the custard is made with almond milk and like most of our desserts, it’s Gluten Free.

 

When walking into Postmistress, the physical atmosphere creates an incredible vibe. We adore the mix of soft pinks & greys, marble, blonde timber & then of course the industrial black steel through-out… what inspired the interior choices?

We fell in love with the building from day one and felt that it had really good bones to work with when designing the fit out. We wanted to keep the art deco feel throughout the space and let the beautiful natural light from all the windows enhance all the features.

The light coloured materials were specifically chosen making it a modern feel, without compromising the art deco look we wanted. Everyone loves pink so it was an easy choice!

The glass, black framed steel panels are on pivots to allow us to create a semi private space within the restaurant. The glass was an ideal material to use as it creates a feel of privacy but also allows the space to be transparent and feel that it is still part of the restaurant without looking like a solid wall.

We really wanted to give the Brunswick West area a nice, relaxed space that people could come and catch up with friends, family or even strike up a business deal or two!

It’s also a great space for all sorts of functions…small or large!

 

Not only are you a foodies dream, but Postmistress is also a great place to enjoy a drink. Your cocktails are delicious but what really blew us away was your 6 wines on tap…can you tell us about why you chose to offer this… 

TAP Wines was an offer we thought would work really well with our causal style eatery. In the past, wines on tap have had a mixed reaction due to the quality available.  This has changed with the high-end wine we have on tap. Where else can you get a litre of Prosecco, Moscato or Sangiovese?

Stainless steel kegs are used to protect this wine from light when travelling from Italy, but the keg system eliminates any sort of wastage for us and we can get around 25 days of great wine….even though we are going through the kegs much quicker than that.

The other great thing about the kegs is that we have reduced our waste disposal by more than 50% helping the environment which we are pleased about.  Each keg equates to about 24 bottles of wine!  We have a range of other fantastic wines which are by the bottle – these are then crushed in out bottle crusher turning them into small glass particles, which are then recycled again.  We want to do our bit to reduce landfill in every way possible and are proud of what we have implemented.

 

What can we expect from Postmistress in the future...any exciting projects in the pipeline?

 Every day is different and there are always plans in the pipeline.  We are really busy at the moment and and spare time is a luxury but we are always working on something!  You might see us pop up at a few local fetes supporting the community, maybe even wine & food appreciation nights could be on the cards.  Events can be endless but we need to choose what fits our model and how we can give back to the community.

What do you love most about the Northside area…

Growing up not far from the area, we used to hang around here a lot. To be honest, not much has changed since those days. It’s still a melting pot of multiculturalism which has grown!   Walking down Sydney Road you get to smell all the different cultures in the air, Mediterranean is still going strong,  small, unique cafes are popping up all over the place. The Northside is such a buzz… and we love being a part of it!

There is a real mixture of demographics in the area. It’s great to see lots of families in the area, young couples and older generation of residents enjoy the landscape that surrounds us!

HEAR IT FROM THE LOCALS

Fabulous. Excellent service and great food at a reasonable price. A converted post office, it’s light and bright with a palette of pale grey, pink and black. Highly recommended for lunch or dinner.- Anita Gibbs 

 

Loved everything about this restaurant, food is flawless , service is on point staff are very tentative and most importantly understand their menu . Best thing is it’s our new local can’t wait to visit again soon! -Fi Abdallah 

 

We had my mum’s birthday dinner there, the food was delicious. BBQ chicken, seafood pasta, pasta ragu, arancini, polpette, fried calamari, everything was mouthwatering. The place itself was tastefully done, the staff were friendly without being overpowering. Loved it all!! - Diana De Vecchi 

 

The setup is airy and bright. The food was very tasty and filling. The berry blast mocktail was refreshing and the gnocchi was soft and pillows. The lamb ragu was soft and the pasta aldente. The aranxhini balls were yummy and crispy on the outside. The waiter who served us was very good. -Julie Gaka 

 

One of the best restaurants I've been to in a very long time where the emphasis is on the "customer" and customer service.. Such fantastic service from our waitress Marie, a fun-loving, helpful an attentive young woman who is a real asset to this place. Compliments to the chef ... the food was scrumptious, and we had it all ! Entrees, mains and dessert ! Such a lively, bright, friendly place, very good service and top quality food. Can't wait to return and try some more from the Menu. Thanks for opening this much needed restaurant at the other end of Brunswick (west) !! We'll be back. -Monica Marshall 

 

JUST GO! Don’t waste time reading my review, get on the 58 tram and go. Excellent Italian vibe, service fabulous and food as fresh as you can imagine an Italian nonna cooking at home. - Luise R

 

Postmistress is located on 71 MELVILLE RD, BRUNSWICK WEST & they're OPEN

MON - FRI:-
LUNCH 12-3PM
APERITIVO 3-5PM
DINNER 5-11PM
(KITCHEN CLOSES AT 10PM)
SAT - SUN
12 - 11PM (KITCHEN CLOSES AT 10PM)

 

For reservations call 03 9381 1585

Check them out on Insta HERE

 

 

 

Big Love, The R&H Brunswick Team Xx

#WelcomeToNorthside #NorthsidePropertyExperts 

 

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