Gills Diner

360 Little Collins St
Melbourne, 3000

03 9670 7214

Lunch Mon-Fri noon-3pm

Dinner Mon-Sat 5.30pm-10pm

I had huge primary school flashbacks when I walked into Gills Diner, with the school chairs and blackboards, I half expected Sister Mary to come round the corner and tell me off-again. After I brushed off the remainder of my St Michael's post traumatic stress, I was able to absorb the simple and funky decor of this truck garage turned restaurant that is tucked away in the back of an alley. I love going to these hidden places, they always seem so on trend, make me feel so uber cool and so so Melbourne. Gills Diner is a prime example, located in Gills Alley just off Little Collins st in the CBD.

If you are a fan of Journal Canteen and Melbourne Supper Club, then no doubt Gills Diner is also on your wish list of places to eat. It definitely was on mine, as so far I have thoroughly enjoyed all the places that owner Con Christopoulos has opened. All except for one, this one.

I've written before about how much money and time I have spent at Supper Club, not only because of the experience but also the food, the rustic, true to flavour European food. At Gills Diner I was disappointed from the first bite right up to the last.

Antipasto all 3 dishes: Quail, Eel, Heirloom Carrots    $33

The Fifth Quater; Braised Tripe, Pigs Ear Terrine, Kataifi Pastry Wrapped Lambs Brain   $24

Barramundi w/ Corn fritters, Cous cous and Salsa Verde    $37

Gnocchi w/ Duck ragout and Jerusalem artichoke     $32

Looking up at the menu written up on the blackboards, I was excited by what I saw. A bit of pasta, a bit of offal, a bit of this, a bit of that. We ordered quickly and enjoyed our fresh baked bread while we waited. 

The quail was over cooked, the carrots were not seasoned, the eel was tasty however.

The tripe was chewy, the lambs brain was OK, the pigs ear terrine was kind of dull but the fried pigs ear pieces were fantastic.

The barramundi was muddy tasting and incredibly salty, the corn fritters were soggy.

The gnocchi was lovely and light, but the ragout just didn't work well. I told my hubby that it tasted like something I would have accidently made, when I stuff up a dish and I try to fix it by just adding and adding to it, but in the end the flavours end up cancelling each other out.

There were some good points, the service was friendly and knowledgeable, the bread is fantastic as they are linked to The Commercial Bakery just out the front. I will be popping in there to pick up a loaf for home. Two thumbs up for the predominantly all Victorian Wine list. BYO is also offered, but if you are going to dine here, catch a cab and try their selection. Lovely. 

I've often said that I don't really review restaurants, realistically I'm reviewing my own experience on that one night. Maybe a different night would be better, maybe lunch is the way to go...maybe. It's a shame really because considering it's pedigree, this place could and should be amazing,   it's other sister eateries are. Or maybe, just maybe, Gills Diner is in fact the Jan Brady of Con Christopoulos' food family.

 

Ratings out of 10
Food 3/10
Service 6/10

Atmosphere 6/10

Value 5/10

Gills Diner  5/10

Would I return? No