VEX

What strikes me more than an extensive wine list is a small concise list, with a selection so terrific that I’d pick pretty much any of the wines listed. Strategically placed on High Street, a busy street in Northcote in the northside of Melbourne, VEX, founded in November 2020, is a small neighbourhood restaurant with an ever-changing menu consisting of ethically sourced and seasonal ingredients influenced by what the farmers bring in every week.

The owners are both hospitality veterans. Chef Florian Ribul was on the pans at Little Andora and Neighbourhood Wine, and Owen Probert worked several years at Marion where he was most recently their restaurant manager. The pair decided to bring to life at VEX what they like best about working in hospitality for so many years – authentic service, a thoughtful menu and a rotating selection of wines picked to go with the creative dishes. If asparagus is in season, expect to find something you haven’t quite had before as the chef combines unlikely ingredients together for both a visual and gustatory experience.

The excellence in the delivery is that you don’t need too much time to peruse a large list, the small list is rich in handpicked wines that you’d be totally inclined to let them decide for you. Owen’s mindset is to constantly explore the diverse world of wine, fostering a genuine yearning for discussing innovative producers, regions and varietals. I believe that sometimes a short list is more intricate to write as we have an abundance of wines and sommeliers can struggle making a choice for an 80-bottle list. Here you have no pretension! Florian and Owen personally engage with every guest, and I am quite enamoured with the imaginative ambience of the restaurant.