Syracuse

Ph: 9670 1777; 23 Bank Pl, MELBOURNE 3000 www.syracuserestau

Modern Mediterranean, $$, ** for Food & Ambience, Good Wine List
Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-11pm Sat 6-11pm, Closed Most public holidays; Licensed; AE DC MC V EFT
Chef Hal Riches (5-12-08) Owner Paul Lumicisi & Charlie Sirianos (5-12-08)

Mietta's Review
This is a wine 'lounge' with good food. The room is beautiful, high ceilings, Greek columns and an eclectic mix of Victorian furniture and marble, it is a must see for out of town visitors. The focus is on the enormous wine list and indeed it is a destination spot for those serious about crushed and fermented grape juice, but that is after lunch until late in the evening. The food with its Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern bent is so good that it comes to the fore at lunch with the young business-types that frequent. In the afternoon, the menu adapts to its support role and is comprised of predominantly smaller tasting plates meant to be shared and enjoyed with wine. The service is knowledgeable and friendly, if a little stretched over lunch.

Other published opinions

Age Good Food Guide 2009 Score: 14.5/20 "A grand dame of Melbourne dining, Syracuse still drips with effortless charm. Ludicrously high ceilings point to the building's history as a 19th-century bank, while gargantuan flower arrangements jostle with Roman columns and antique furniture in a delightful assault on the ocular senses"

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14.5/20 "Syracuse is one of those very Melbourne places, the envy of other Australian cities (did anyone mention Sydney?). Down a city lane in a charismatic old building, it opens all hours for good coffee, a glass of something interesting, a nibble or two - maybe even dinner - in the company of well-dressed urban professionals relaxing in an opulent yet informal dining room with a strong wine focus"

The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 15/20, 1 Hat "It's a buzzy, bustling corporate area, the west end of Little Collins Street. And here sits Syracuse, a resplendent diner that for years now has looked after the wining and dining needs of local business types, at all hours of the day and night."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "The unique atmosphere of this place - a modern restaurant within an old, old building - is built around the un-designed design: mix 'n' match furniture, wine clutter, glorious mirrors, flamboyant lights, extravagant flowers and a kinda quaint wood-and-marble archaism."

Age Jane Faulkner August 2005 "I love the dining room. Through a short entrance, flanked by rich red velvet curtains, the French-looking bistro room opens up as one. There are Thonet chairs placed with small round tables, or upholstered Victorian sofas matched to larger tables. It's a space where a lone diner doesn't feel obviously single; a table of businessmen can relax and enjoy a long lunch; where celebrities or industry folk feel comfortable and inconspicuous. Or two can just savour a wonderful lunch."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005 score 15/20 One Hat "SYRACUSE is an ageing beauty, her allure growing as the years advance. Off-kilter antiques add to the fin-de-siede grandeur of the dining room, its high ceilings and unadorned walls a perfect foil for the sideboards cluttered with armagnac and mismatched silver. It's here that corporate types seek refuge from bland offices for everything from breakfast meetings to after-work drinks. Lunch is the main event, with a short list of dishes that sing with simplicity and style."

Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide * "Syracuse, at the heart ofthe city's legal district, is a peculiarly Melbourne kind of place. With its pillars and archways, mirrors and soaring ceilings, thrown-together furnishings and wine ephemera, it looks more like a Victorian-era theatre or club, than a restaurant."

The Age Epicure John Lethlean 25/1/05 score 16/20 "Looking dangerously like becoming a Melbourne institution, Syracuse is as good as it has ever been."

The Foodies' Guide 2004, Allan Campion & Michele Curtis,'Bars with Great Food-If you've never been here before you'll kick yourself for not discovering it earlier.Get stuck into one of the greatest wine lists and some of the most mouthwatering tapas around.A word of warning though-you'll it hard to leave.'

The Age Cheap Eats 2004, Good bar,Somewhere really special,'Let us count the ways:soaring ceilings,lavish pillars,glossy floorboards and twinkling chandeliers.The food's just as flash,but you must come after 3pm to dine like a king on a pauper's wage-that's when Syracuse turns on tapas'

AGFG 2004, score 14/20, excellent wine list, excllent breakfasts, excellent bar

Herald Sun, Sunday Magazine, 14/3/04, Jane Huthinson,'The white bean and chorizo cassoulet ($7.80) is a knockout.'

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, Excellent wine list, Good vegetarian options,'Beneath the soaring ceilings of this grand hotel building is a constant hubbub of local silks and suits...crisp modern dishes that combine simplicity with plenty of flavour...lots of rarities for the wine junkie'

The Age, Epicure, 17/2/04, Melinda Houston,'So many bars in Melbourne do fabulous food.'

The Age, Sunday Life, 25/1/04, John Lethlean,'The food at Syracuse is reasonably priced for the level of service but wines by the glass can get a little ambitiuos.'

The Saturday Age, A2, Food&Wine, John Weldon, 8/3/03

The Sunday Age, Sunday Life, Eat Streets, Dani Valent, 16/2/03

The Age, Epicure, Restaurants, John Lethlean, 15/10/02, Score 16/20 "What a pity this rest. only shows it's true clors at lunch, terrific food, a rare wine list and an atmosphere of eclectic clutter unique to Melbourne."