Melbourne and New York are both cities that have thrived through their cosmopolitan attitudes, and here we have two Melburnians opening a restaurant in NYC’s East Village, with Modern Australian food influenced by the Greek and Italian immigrants in their home city, with flavours of South East Asia, the subcontinent and even a bit of British in there to boot. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Tony Abbott. Flinders Lane is the creation of Chris McPherson and Chris Rendell, both 10-year veterans of the New York restaurant scene and now ready to strike out on their own.
Flinders Lane recalls the history of the Melbourne district that it’s named after – a gritty urban network of lanes that is now a centre for arts and culture, and of course dining. The pair at the helm (one front-of-house, the other head chef) are aided by a team of compatriots, and a feeling of authenticity runs strongly through the venue. What better way to capture the unique design flair of Melbourne’s food and drink venues than shipping over some of the city’s finest design talent? Which is exactly what McPherson and Rendell did – getting seasoned Melbourne designers Eades&Bergman in on the case. The décor echoes the post-industrial vibe of Flinders Lane, with concrete and bare bulbs, dark wood and a palette of greys, restored vintage tiling and a mural depicting Melbourne’s neon-lit urban art centre Hosier Lane. If you’re feeling adventurous, there’s a selection of bush tucker (indigenous country food) available, although thankfully they’ve stopped short of putting live grubs on the menu.
Photography, Chris McPherson
