The incredibly talented team at Byrdi has marched to the beat of their own idiosyncratic drum from day one. And we admire and applaud their refusal to compromise on their wild, unusual and wonderfully tasty vision.
Firstly, it’s tacked onto the edge of what appears to be a mini food court in Melbourne Central. And is not easy to find. Then, once you do manage to locate it, the interior is minimal, very modern and awash with pale timber and concrete. If you are expecting moody, with dark corners, you will be disappointed. However, you want truly original cocktails and an intriguing food menu, Byrdi delivers in spades.
As we’ve just said, Byrdi Melbourne is an elusive beast.
The chances are that the majority of people who trek through Melbourne Central don’t notice that it’s there – quiet and unassuming at the edge of a public dining area. In fact, even once found, the exterior looks vastly different to almost every other Cocktail Bar in town.
Two square slabs of taupe concrete make up the front of the bar with miss-matched windows giving a slice of the hidden world within. The entrance is discreet passageway between the squares. From the get go, you are aware that this isn’t your average Negroni and Fries kind of place.
Inside, the sparse, monolithic look continues.
Cross the threshold into Byrdi and you are immediately face-to-face with one of the least-fussy bars we’ve ever seen. Indeed, at first we’re not sure that it is a bar. Modest and wooden, it’s most striking feature is the lack of bottles and regular drink making paraphernalia. Closer inspection reveals a glimpse of a tiny preparation counter to its rear and a couple of bowls of garnishes.
Apart from the spartan bar, the most intriguing items are 2 black rods suspended from the ceiling. We guess they are some kind of space-age extractor fan, but what do we know? Decoration-wise, a collection of skeletal branches hang inverted on wires.
The bar has minimal counter seating, and Byrdi’s dining room is similarly wee. A handful of pale wood tables and chairs add to the Scandinavian-cool vibe of the beige and grey stone walls. Whilst the effect is austere simplicity, the space isn’t cold or unwelcoming. Warm lighting illuminates the space, casting shadows across the walls and floor. Having said that, the ambience is a long way from cosy. It feels too brutalist for that.
Another harsh oblong opening in a speckled wall gives a glancing view into a tiny, austere kitchen.
There’s an aura of mystery and clinical precision to the entire space.
Full disclosure – on this outing we nip into Byrdi for pre-dinner drinks and so barely touch the eating side of the menu.
However, the food mirrors the Australian-centric, seasonal nature of the Drinks List. It also shares the Cocktails fermentation-driven DNA. Typical of this is the dish of Stracciatella ($16) with Herb Jam, Fried Capers and Housemade Focaccia. And then there’s the Potato Cake ($16). Here, Layered Russet Potato with accompanied by Sour Cream and Salt & Vinegar Salt Bush.
The kitchen can guide you through the best of their latest creations via either a 3 Course ($150pp) or 5 Course ($220) Daily Tasting Menu.
The Drinks
Whilst we are eating elsewhere, we are definitely drinking at Brydi.
Thankfully, the bar staff are wonderful are on hand to guide us through the unfamiliar Cocktail List. It breaks down into Seasonal libations, try and tested concoctions and more.
At this point, it’s worth noting that the Cocktails at Byrdi lean heavily into fermentation techniques. Some ingredients can take months to mature to the desired flavour, so – rather like Bouvardia – this is real ingenuity and alchemy in action. The best advice is to chat to your helpful mixologist (who probably has an Applied Science Degree!), read the descriptions carefully, and plunge right in.
The first cab off the rank is the Pepperberry & Salted Grapefruit Highball ($20). Featuring Smoked Davidson Plum, it’s a light, fruity delight. Perfect for the first drink of a long evening.
One of my companions decides on the Half Time Oranges ($30), a zesty combo of last seasons, Oranges, Cut Grass & Neroli Jelly. The Neroli Jelly take the form of an eighth of ‘Orange’, balanced over the lip of the glass. The drink itself is zesty and citrus-forward, with distinct Cut Grass background notes. We are all fans.
Next up is the enigmatically named, Campfire ($30). This turns out to be a genuinely interesting tipple of Smoked Mushroom Milk, Cacao, Roasted Shoyu, Marshmallow and Vanilla. All presented in a tactile earthenware tumbler, with a wee handmade chocolate on top. It’s rich and earthy and would be perfect on a chilly night, camping in The Grampians.
But possibly the most challenging ‘drink’ of all is the Snow ($30). And never has a Cocktail been better described. Comprising of Victorian Grown Yuzu, Citrus Coconut Ice & Geraldton Wax Pow Pow, it’s a fun hybrid of Japanese and indigenous Australian ingredients. And it actually is Snow. Eaten with a spoon.
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This is a fascinating and brave spin on a standard Cocktail. And exactly the kind of daring that Byrdi is known for. At the first mouthful, the Snow gives a blast of zingy citrus. Then, as it dissolves on the tongue, you get a mildly oily coating of Geraldton Wax. One of our group find the oiliness unpleasant, but the rest like it.
Overall
Byrdi is trail-blazing and if you drop by for a few drinks, it’s easy to see why.
Not everyone will warm to the mad – very cool, Scandi-ish – vibe or the highly original menus – both Food and Drinks.
But seriously, how lucky is Melbourne to have another bar that isn’t just shaking up a Dirty Martini?
Byrdi is taking time and huge amounts of culinary skill to smash conceptions around what should – and shouldn’t constitute a Cocktail. And we love it.
