Dickie Fitz in Fitzrovia
Whether it’s a working breakfast, light lunch, after-work cocktails, a leisurely dinner or Sunday feasting, newly opened Dickie Fitz in Fitzrovia has it covered. This modern day brasserie, on the corner of Newman and Goodge Street, marries big-hearted Pacific flavours, courtesy of Matt Robinson (Bluebird, Skylon, maze, Boxwood and The Criterion) with a carefully-crafted New World cellar, an Asian-influenced cocktail list and casual, friendly service.
FROM DOWN UNDER TO FITZROVIA
Dickie Fitz’s breakfast bowls take a seriously fresh approach to the first meal of the day. Highlights include generous lashings of maple roasted nuts, grains, seeds, fresh fruits and berries scattered on and buried in Greek yoghurt, as well as zucchini fritters and a banana bread that’s slathered in buttermilk ricotta and honey.
But it’s the à la carte that brings the Dickie Fitz menu truly into its own. Starters include Culatello ham on the slicer or sea bass carpaccio and blood orange accompanied with a little cylinder of what looks inauspiciously like seaweed-wrapped sushi. The knife doesn’t tease out rice, however, but bush lime; pearls of green caviar that explode like fireworks in the mouth, bringing little bombs of citrus to the translucent fish.
Dinner also features some big-hitting marine numbers such as turbot t-bone with yuzu hollandaise and lobster with wild garlic and chilli from the Robata Grill. Carnivores won’t be disappointed with dishes such as slow-cooked pork belly in bacon-dashi broth with spicy fennel kimchi and lamb chops with sake and mint.
The Sunday “Feasting” menu is perfect for groups of friends and family, offering the table choices such as master-stock BBQ chicken, steamed whole Cornish sea bass wit ginger and soy, whole Iberico suckling pigs and the staple 42 day-aged rib, served on the bone for up to five guests. Every feasting dish comes with bottomless veg – think salt-baked kumara and whole roast cauliflower with cheese.
DRINKER’S DELIGHT
Keeping cocktails above the standards of even the most demanding connoisseurs, Dickie Fitz has elevated its Australasian-inflected concoctions to little liquid pieces of art. White Geisha (vodka, sake, lychee), Tim Tam Martini (vodka, espresso, Kahlua) and Honey Badger (chilli vodka, passionfruit, honey) promise to become instant success stories.
Cellar-wise, the carefully crafted wine list includes classics but is ultimately unafraid to weight itself in favour of Australia, New Zealand and California. Not to mention offering a generous selection of Australian craft beers and ciders as well as a premium Junmai Sake from Kyoto.
FROM DAWN TO DUSK
Set over two floors with 100 covers, Dickie Fitz is designed for all-day dining. Downstairs a casual vibe keeps things approachable at every hour, while upstairs a smaller, more intimate ambience prevails. Equipped with its own bar, it’s ideal for formal dining or private parties.
The interior, complete with stunning stained glass stairway, is Art Deco influenced with a touch of modernism. In particular, the marmoreal bar, oversized windows, sunshine-coloured sea-shell chairs, and dandelion light fixtures balance formal style and a more relaxed artistry with verve.