Update October 2024: This review was originally written in 2023, so please be aware that some elements may have changed since.
Time Out Melbourne never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique.
Swan Street has undergone a facelift in recent years, and let's face it, it was overdue. Reliably busy on weekends with convivial pub-goers, for those who prefer their lubrication with a side of bangin' food, it's historically been wiser to head further north or south in search of greener pastures.
But there's a sea change in the air, and Richmond has a re-awakened sense of excitement because Swan Street is, well, she's looking good. One of the most gratifying spots to rise from the COVID-ashes is Clover, a casual but sleek wine bar from the team behind the Alps, Milton Wine Bar and the Moon.
Clover sits snuggled between shops on the east side of Church Street, with Future Future and Mathesons Wine Bar a stone's throw away. The double-glass shopfront creates a warm barrier between the restaurant and the bustling street outside, allowing us to relish the remaining sunlight. Although it's just gone 5pm on a chilly Tuesday evening, a buzzy sense of camaraderie permeates the intimate space. The fitout is straightforward and, dare I say, a bit monotone, but with the large communal table in the centre and tables seating larger groups flanking the sides, there's a disarming cosiness to the place that makes you want to settle in for the long haul. If you're dining as two, opt for one of the banquette seats in front of the kitchen. The kitchen line is an enthralling display of masterful tranquillity, far removed from the shouty machismo passes of yore.
This fluidity of kitchen and dining space foreshadows the harmony of the menu, which is overseen by owner and chef Charley Snadden-Wilson and applied by head chef Shem Fitaio. Having eaten at Snadden-Wilson's previous camps (Embla, Etta and Ramblr), I know his savant-esque ability to balance a dish with deceptively simple ingredients. Clover is no exception. Take, for example, the daily market fish ($42), which comes in the form of delightfully meaty swordfish fillets served with pickled mushrooms, cavolo nero and a zesty butter reduction – a mathematical symbiosis between the fatty fish and acidic sauce results in an eye-roll-inducing good time.
Similarly to judging a pizza place on its Margherita or an ice cream shop on its vanilla, you can tell a lot about a restaurant by its bread. And Clover's honey bread ($12) tells us it's not for your basic Wonder White lovers. A thick slab of moist bread (think part shokupan, part sourdough) sits atop a golden Herb De Provence butter river. It's sinfully decadent and not for the faint-hearted. Flirting with the boundary of 'too much', Snadden-Wilson artfully sticks the landing of just right'.
The menu changes almost daily, but make sure you get whatever protein Snadden-Wilson has popped onto flame-licked bread. Tonight's offering is smoked trout with creme fraiche, topped with a healthy sprinkle of pickled fennel ($10pp). The dill-riddled trout compliments the acidic pickle, and what could be underwhelming in less capable hands is a triumph of simplicity and confidence. Other dishes, including the heirloom carrots in Café de Paris butter ($16) and country terrine with mustard ($24), are classic dishes elevated by precise execution.
Clover's woodfired oven, built by Samuel Fraraccio, is the primary source of this glutton's joy. It highlights the considered and copacetic nature of the venue, along with its foresight. Chefs use the residual heat from the previous evening to smoke bacon or cool the oven to bake bread and cake by steaming potatoes. Speaking of cake, if you're like me and skip desserts in favour of more savoury items, don't do that here. You'll be rewarded with scrummy goodies like pound cake ($17) and lemon posset ($13), which usually champion a seasonal fruit and round out the meal nicely.
You can't talk Clover and not talk drinks. Co-owner Lyndon Kubis has a prolific history in wine; he was with The Moon, The Alps, Milton Wine Shop and Toorak Cellars from their inception. The wine list ebbs and flows with seasonal changes, harmoniously shifting with the kitchen menu as cooperating entities. The by-the-bottle menu leans French, Italian and local, and will satisfy even the most cultivated drinkers. It's a good mix of old-world elegance and surprise gems, including a couple of bottles from Kasuda in Martinborough, New Zealand. If commitment isn't your thing, the by-the-glass menu is equally exciting, and my glass of 2021 Gamay from Jean Claude Lapalu ($22) satisfies as a vibrant compatriot to the food.
There's an intention to Clover. Service (guided by group manager Sarah Riley and implemented by venue manager Lulu Tindal), food, drink and space are not separate but a complete system working in unity. You can feel the difference to, say, a wine bar by an entrepreneur. Clover is a smooth, inviting operation run by experts in the field, and the results speak for themselves. Swan Street is lucky to have them.