Inside Fred's restaurant, Alvarez's open kitchen creates fresh and seasonal dishes made with ethical and all-natural ingredients, from handmade cavatelli with rabbit and peas to leg of lamb "a la ficelle" with laver bread, broad beans and mint. An understated interior is dressed with handmade crockery and wall art, designed to feel like an extension of the home. Merivale's own Justin and Bettina Hemmes, Vince Alafaci and Caroline Chocker of ACME & Co., and stylist Amanda Talbot opted for French oak timbers, galvanised steel windows and a palette of rich browns, dusty pinks and petrol blues, which are softened by the existing lime walls.
"We’ll be working from an open kitchen and I hope that people will feel comfortable coming and saying hello," Alvarez said. "The way you cook for your friends and family, with so much love and thought behind it, that’s what I want people to feel like at Fred’s; that they’ve come to our house and have been taken really good care of."
Alvarez's menu is complemented by a 120-strong wine list created by Head Sommelier Caitlyn Rees. Rees has opted for small-batch wines and a large wine by the glass list that will change daily to match the produce being used in the kitchen.
Downstairs in Fred's basement is Charlie Parker's, an intimate and soulful bar with washed-green peeling walls, old-world joinery, bricks and exposed sandstone. Egerton and Marshall have redesigned their drinks incorporating fresh produce and their own touch. Produce-driven cocktails match the menu at Fred's and the drinks list in inspired by botany, expressive of new flavours and a top to tail approach behind the bar.
Alvarez has also created a bar menu to complement the drinks with Willowbrae feta with grapes and picked chilies baked on lemon leaves; Jerusalem artichoke, green garlic and a daily changing flatbread; grilled Piccolo Farm quail wrapped in pancetta; and burnt caramel ice cream with Goslings Rum.
Egerton said: "Danielle’s cooking is of the highest integrity. It minimises the degree of separation between the producer and consumer, with the added dimension of ingesting a story about where the ingredients have come from. That’s the same philosophy we want to have at Charlie Parker’s, executing an innovative yet honest beverage program not usually seen in your neighbourhood bar."
The venue officially opens on Tuesday 25 October and is located on 380 Oxford Street, Paddington.
Fred’s opening hours: Lunch - Friday-Sunday: 12.30pm-3pm; Dinner - Tuesday-Saturday: 5.30pm-12am & Sunday: 5.30pm-10pm.
Charlie Parker’s opening hours: Tuesday – Thursday: 5pm-12am; Friday: 3pm -12am; Saturday:12pm-12am & Sunday: 12pm-10pm.
Image: Toby Marshall and Sam Egerton(credit - Charlie Parkers)
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