In big news for fans of Provenance, Michael Ryan’s Beechworth restaurant that’s been wowing diners in Victoria’s alpine region for 16 years, the dégustation-only menu has been joined by an à la carte option.
Not only can you now stop by for a single serve (or two, maybe three) of menu classics, like ethereal mushroom tofu elevated further heavenwards with a sprinkle of katsuobushi (bonito) salt or the miso-pickled daikon and cured swordfish flavour bomb of a “Gilda”, but also tuck into the simple pleasures of karaage-fried chicken or okayu (congee) spiked with pickled vegetables that are à la carte only.
No matter which path you take, Ryan’s cooking remains a Japanese-accented masterclass of deft skill, impeccable flavour and seasonal nous. And I’m still to find a better, less overwhelming expression of dégustation dining than his serving the 18 small dishes in four kaiseki-style “courses”, delivered on wooden trays at well-judged intervals.
The dining room, a high-ceilinged gold rush-era banking chamber, made cosy with carpet, upholstered furniture and banquettes, is further warmed by a wood-burning stove and a brilliantly eclectic soundtrack that ranges from Wanda Jackson and Os Mutantes to Massive Attack and Sarah Mary Chadwick. Add cocktails based around Ryan’s own amaro-leaning liquor brand Beechworth Bitters and a short, sharp wine list filled with local heroes like Giaconda, Sorrenberg and Pennyweight and you have all the ingredients for a soul-warming good time.
It’s tricky to pick favourites. Is it the deep-purple venison tataki, brilliantly accompanied by tangy pickled rhubarb? Perhaps it’s the chopped raw prawns anointed with crisp chilli oil on a house-made prawn cracker, the warm, fluffy flatbread glistening with smoked miso butter or the charmingly comforting circular ice-cream sandwich, salty-sweet honey and miso ice-cream held between biscuits made with nutty kinako, a roasted soybean flour. But I’m still dreaming of the chestnut soup topped with mushrooms and splashed with kombu oil, so maybe it’s that one.
There’s more good news with another recent Provenance addition, The Parlour Amaro Bar. Located upstairs, open on weekends and staffed (and DJ’d) by Michael Ryan post-dinner, it’s the perfect place to come in for landing and toast your luck for discovering such a singular, satisfying experience.
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