Melbourne’s first Fratelli Fresh and The Cut Steakhouse will open at The Alfred at midday tomorrow.
The new venue from Urban Purveyor Group is located in the former Comme and Stokehouse in the City site.
From the alfresco laneway dining façade at 7 Alfred Place, a grand foyer, spectacular dry aging room and ground floor Fratelli Fresh, to the dramatic staircase that leads guests to The Cut’s classic New York steakhouse inspired space and adjoining bar, the two-storey heritage building is as rich in culinary credentials as it is in stylish spaces for public dining or private hire.
Seated at the horseshoe-shaped, marble-topped pizza counter guests can watch 48-hour, natural fermented, hand stretched, thin-crust pizzas topped with premium ingredients pulled from the warm glow of the wood-fired oven.
The produce-driven opening menu spans everything from antipasti, to pasta and risotto, and wood-grilled premium meats and fish, including T Bone Florentina that is dry-aged on site and carved off the bone. The chef’s signature ‘Abbacchio alla Romana’, Roman-style lamb on the bone with parmesan crust, is one of the share dishes on the meny. Desserts include Fratelli’s tiramisu, Venetian doughnuts, Sicilian cannoli and a selection of house-churned gelato.
From the foyer, a grand staircase leads to a first-floor vestibule where guests can enjoy a casual drink. From here, enter The Cut and be transported to an elegant New York-style steakhouse with parquetry and black and white marble tiled floors; rich, deep-green, leather-upholstered, custom-made banquettes and chairs and luxurious curtains.
The menu excels in char as much as the restaurant does in charm. There are 10 cuts of beef from five top-tier farms, including boutique Victorian producer Seven Creeks Wagyu that supplies The Cut exclusively with premium scotch fillet and flank steak.
The dry aging room, which is viewable from street-level windows and an all-glass internal wall, supplies the kitchen with beef that has been dry aged for up to 200 days.
Steaks can be paired with one of nine sauces and condiments and 10 different sides, including buttermilk onion rings, hand-cut chips, roasted mushrooms and slow-roasted leeks. The menu also features Dorper lamb, Great Ocean free-range duck and oysters from boutique producers, including limited-release Hidden Cove oysters from Tasmania.
An adjoining bar called The Library is just the place to relax with one of The Cut’s quintessential cocktails. Guests can also globe-trot the impressive 300-strong wine list that includes natural produced local Victorian wines; a collection of over 80 of the world’s finest whiskies, including those from Australia and Tasmania; and local and international craft and bottled beers.
The Alfred can be hired in its entirety with capacity for 800 guests, cocktail style. The ground floor, including laneway, caters to 400 guests, while the first floor can host up to 350 guests. For smaller events, Fratelli Fresh caters to 80 customers banquet style or 160 cocktail style, plus 40 in the Fratelli Bar. The Cut can hold a cocktail event of up to 200 guests, or 120 banquet style. For more intimate events, The Library bar caters for cocktail events for up to 60 people.
The Alfred is located at 7 Alfred Place, Melbourne Vic.
