Designer anchovies. Crudo wrapped in kombu. Leaves that’ve been all but hand-reared. Yes, you are dining at a wine bar in Fitzroy North. But when the going is this good and the pedigree this fine, where else would you rather be?
The brainchild of Giulia Giorgetti (Marion) and chef Steve Harry (Auterra, Napier Quarter), Suze is precisely what you need from a neighbourhood local in 2025: fresh ricotta with persimmons, eggplant cotoleta with fenugreek oil, whomping tomahawks and a wine list that runs from Kyneton to France, pouring plenty of its namesake aperitif all the while.
Here’s what to order when you visit, according to Giorgetti.
How about a drink?
Our drinks offering is a reflection of how we like to drink when we’re in Europe. There are plenty of vermouths and aperitifs, including some great Victorian producers like Autonomy Distillers. They make a Davidson plum and rosella flower aperitif that we use in a spritz together with Dubonnet and pomegranate molasses. It’s fruity, tart and has a bit of body – a great start to a meal.
Where should I sit?
You definitely want to sit at the bar – it’s just the true essence of dining in a wine bar. Ours is wide enough to provide comfort and privacy, but it also allows for a chat with the team if you’re in the mood. The room upstairs is moody and entertaining, and has a full view of the kitchen.
I’m here for a good time not a long time.
I would suggest starting with a classic salty snack: Olasagasti anchovies with guindillas, blood lime and lovage oil. I would pair it with the Chalari retsina, served on ice, for something different and fun. Or with a Manzanilla if you’d rather keep it classic.
Got anything light and fresh?
Everyone’s in love with the raw fish dish. The fish itself changes according to the freshest option we find from our supplier, Ocean Made. Sometimes it’s kingfish, sometimes alfonsino, other times it’s this incredible Ōra King salmon sourced from a small and sustainable farm in New Zealand. We fillet it and wrap it in kombu that’s been soaked in sake to add that extra layer of umami and firm up the flesh. The dressing is made with dashi, lemon juice and olive oil and infused with Tasmanian wasabi. Very simple, but aromatic, tangy, fresh and full of flavour.
What if I like tasty food but don’t eat animals? What’s good on the vego or vegan side?
We’re fascinated by vegetables and we use them as much as possible. We work with some of the best small farms around Victoria (Day’s Walk Farm, Somerset Farm, Dog Creek Growers) and everything gets picked and delivered almost daily. The colours in the room on delivery days are just incredible.
One dish I’d like to mention is the eggplant cotoletta. The eggplant is charred and peeled, then crumbed and deep-fried. It’s then served with a black sauce made with the skin, sherry vinegar and fenugreek oil. It’s smoky and very comforting, and it can be a vegan main or a side dish to share. It’s a team favourite.
Name the dish that captures the Suze vibe.
I will name two, for two different reasons. One is the gougère with Bay of Fires cheddar and stout. This dish looks extremely simple – a small ball of choux pastry filled with a deeply savoury cream. It’s a mood-lifter from first bite, and a celebration of great Australian produce and the simple way we like to work with it.
The other dish is our Queen: ricotta. We make it fresh daily, which is very satisfying. We served it with figs when they were in season, now it’s with persimmons. Tomorrow? We’ll see; it’s very versatile.
Let’s go big. Let’s go crazy. What have you got for me?
We have a few mains on our menu if you’re after a full dinner. That may include agnolotti with Comté and nutmeg, or perhaps a spanner crab bucatini. As an Italian, I love having two pasta dishes rotating through our menu, and Steve loves making his own pasta from scratch, including milling the grains for the flour.
We always have a whole fish and another protein, like a lamb rump or a pork cutlet, but if you want to go all in, you should get one of the big cuts of meat. We are obsessed with the Black Angus tomahawk at the moment. It’s usually around 1.8kg, cooked on the hibachi and served with Dijon mustard, farmers’ leaves and greens. Other times, we might have a whole Aylesbury duck that we dry-age for two weeks and glaze with shiso, rhubarb and inca berries. Both quickly became very popular – to the point that guests email us wanting to pre-order them.
And to close?
That depends. If you prefer something light and refreshing, we have a grapefruit sorbet with pink peppercorns and Suze. My favourite, though, is the tulumba, a Turkish doughnut that comes with crème diplomat and black garlic. It’s a very earthy dessert, but still packs that sugar kick we sometimes want to finish a meal with. We usually pair it with a glass of Toro Albalá Poley Oloroso en rama to add some extra brown spice and tobacco notes.
Suze, 6 Newry St, Fitzroy North, 5pm-late Wed-Sat and noon-5pm Sun suzefitzroy.com, @suze_fitzroy