This month in The Press, we climb the stairs to Neighbourhood Wine, the Fitzroy North institution chef Almay Jordaan has run with her partner Simon Denman for over a decade. Almay grew up on a table grape farm in South Africa’s Western Cape, and that upbringing still does the talking: food cooked with fire, grown on purpose, and served without any fuss. She trained under some of Cape Town and London’s best before landing in Melbourne, where her Sunday roast has become the stuff of local legend and her instinct for good produce has never let up.
That instinct is exactly why we love her. Almay cooks the way we grow olives: seasonally, honestly, and with a healthy disregard for anything overworked. She’s been a Frantoio devotee for years, which tells you she knows a versatile, well-balanced oil when she tastes one. Grab a seat at the bar, order whatever’s on the fire, and you’ll see what we mean.
Describe your cooking style in three words.
Fine dining-averse.
Where’s the last place you dined out, and what did you order?
Bar Carnation. Vitello tonnato.
If you owned a restaurant that cooked only one dish, what would it be?
Seasonal soup with great bread.
Most underrated ingredient in the kitchen?
Pasta water.
What’s your favourite dish on the menu at Neighbourhood Wine at the moment?
A roast rock ling darne, cut on the bone, finished in the Josper oven.
What do you cook when you can’t be bothered, or after a big shift?
Miso soup, or avocado on toast with olive oil.
Favourite Mount Zero oil and way to use it?
I’ve been a Frantoio devotee for years. It ticks all the boxes for me, as it’s so versatile.
Who’s your biggest culinary influence?
The great culinary writer M.F.K. Fisher.
What recipe have you chosen to share with us and why?
A lentil and fig salad. It’s perfect for hosting season, light lunches, or a nutritious lunch to take to work.
Do you play music in the kitchen?
I’m an ambient electronic and synth music person. Four Tet, Burial, Aphex Twin and Floating Points are all on high rotation.
As told to Hilary McNevin
Neighbourhood Wine is open from midday to midnight, Tuesday to Sunday, at 1 Reid Street, Fitzroy North. To book a table, head here.
