Beef

Muttis

6/28/2009 12:56:00 PM


Muttis
118 Elgin St
Carlton 3053 VIC
(03) 9349 5008
Website

On Monday, Hookturns commented on my post about the North Fitzroy Arms, asking if I'd tried Muttis, the new-ish mod-Austrian restaurant in Carlton. I hadn't, but I certainly wanted to, and made a booking for the following Saturday. Thanks for the heads up!

Muttis is located near the corner of Elgin and Rathdowne streets, where the old Chinta Ria R&B used to be. (It then became Gardenia's, I think, and has changed hands a couple of times since.) They serve a mix of modern European and traditional Austrian fare, just like your Mutti used to make. The restaurant section is located at the back, whilst the front is a bar. There are some outdoor tables too, which will be mighty inviting once it stops being so cold! (There are heaters though, so fear not, committed smokers).

They have Austrian and German beers on tap (wahey!!!), but I was driving, and we were most definitely there for the food. The restaurant is quite spacious and modern, with red leather banquettes and dark wooden tables. I loved the round water glasses and big bowls of salt (see picture above) - very cute.

We decided to skip entrees, to leave room for dessert. There were some interesting entrees - goulash soup and pork rillette, for instance, which I would have liked to try - but there is only so much one can eat.

Giant steak knife!

Porterhouse steak with garlic beans and Bratkartoffeln (we asked for these as a substitute to plain chat potatoes) - $28.

Fazit: lecker! The Bratkartoffeln looked different to what I remember as Bratkartoffeln - the version I know and love consists of thin slices of potato fried with bacon and onion. This version, however, had the potatoes in chunky pieces, with a sprinkling of Hungarian paprika over. Also delicious. I don't think you can go wrong with fried potatoes.

Goulash with Spaetzle and Kaiser bread roll - $21

I went for the more traditional goulash mit Spaetzle. The meat was a little too fatty for my liking, but very tender. The sauce was spicier than expected, in a good way, and the Spaetzle were amazing! Tender and buttery and flecked with chives. The serving was huge too - even I couldn't finish all that meat.

Now, dessert. There was a choice of four desserts: apple strudel, Omas Buchteln, affogato and assorted ice-creams. We chose the first two.

Apple Strudel served hot with vanilla cream - $9.50

Apple strudel can often be dissapointing, but Muttis version was very nice, and served warm. The vanilla cream was a good accompaniment, with flecks of real vanilla bean throughout.

I went for the more exotic (well, it sounded exotic to me) Omas Buchteln (literally Grandma's dumplings). These were an Austrian brioche dough, filled with plum jam and served with hot vanilla custard. (Wikipedia article!)

Omas Buchteln - $12

The Buchteln were lovely, and I especially liked the soft dough. I definitely want to try making this at home one day. However, the serving was just too big for me, and I was defeated about halfway through. It could have easily been shared between 3. (That plate you see it sitting on was the size of a dinner plate!)

***EDIT: Found a recipe for Buchteln in my Dr. Oetker's Backen Macht Freude book!! Score!!***
Utterly defeated.

Muttis was a great find, and I recommend it for anyone who is into this type of food. Prices are reasonable, and the service was very friendly and professional. I overheard a waitress say that they will be open for lunches soon, and are about to change their menu. Can't wait!

Muttis on Urbanspoon

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5 comments

  1. Ever been to the Swiss Club in Flinders Lane? They also serve this type of food - I took a part-German friend there and he just about cried, because it was as you said, just like his nanna used to make.

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  2. Lol we actually went to The Swiss Club on Friday night!! Haven't been able to blog it yet, lol.

    xox Sarah

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  3. Fair enough. I kind of wish they hadn't refurbished the place, it used to be darker and had way more atmosphere, and proper booths! It just seems kind of... well, "hospitally" now.

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  4. That buchteln looks amazing. I hate it when I can't finish a meal at a restaurant though, I always feel compelled to try really hard to though, what with paying for it and all...

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  5. How is the swiss club? I keep meaning to go but have never made it... I will definitely have to try this place, it looks soooooo good. Ate a lot of this kind of food in Bavaria, yum :)

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