I had high hopes for Reed House. The new restaurant from chef Mark Hannell and front-of-house pro Rebecca Baker is housed in a gorgeous bluestone building near Caretaker’s Cottage. The husband-and-wife owners met while working at Ottolenghi’s London restaurant Nopi and used their life savings to the British brasserie in August.
I visited during Reed House’s first week of trade, but it felt like a restaurant that had been operating for years. It’s so perfectly at home in Melbourne, I almost forgot it didn’t exist two months ago.
Between chewy-in-a-good-way rye pici (hand-rolled pasta) with pecorino and macadamia, and Scotch eggs made using soft boiled soy-cured Japanese-style ramen eggs, there’s one dish I can’t stop thinking about: a Welsh rarebit crumpet served with a bottle of Worcestershire on the side for good measure.
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SIGN UPA traditional Welsh rarebit – essentially fancy cheese on toast – is a thing of wonder. A classic for a reason, it’s been around since at least the 1700s. The dish is typically a slice of toast topped with a thick cheese sauce made using beer, melted cheese and Worcestershire sauce.
Hannell says he was inspired by the Welsh rarebit at London restaurant St John’s. “We serve it like they do, with a bottle of Lea & Perrins on the side, and encourage people to go to town on the dish with it”, he tells me.
But Hannell takes it to the next level by replacing the bread with house-made sourdough crumpets using a recipe he learnt from Three Blue Ducks chef and co-owner Darren Robertson. “I don’t feel bad for stealing it as he didn’t get me tickets to Oasis, so I think that’s fair,” Hannell jokes.
To make the batter, the Reed House team combines sourdough starter, milk and flour and leaves the mixture to ferment overnight. The next day, it’s activated with apple cider vinegar and bi-carb soda, which creates the crumpets’ distinctive holes.
Each crumpet is individually pan fried. “We get a lot of colour on them, that’s key to the flavour,” says Hannell. They’re then topped with a Guinness and cheddar cheese sauce.
Until recently, I loved a toasted crumpet topped with peanut butter and honey. And for cheese toasties, I was satisfied with a slice or two of cheddar – and a pickle if I was feeling fancy. Reed House’s Welsh rarebit, which is just $9 apiece, is so good, I fear it may have ruined both of these homemade favourites for me.