By Annabelle Ross
Hardware Lane has always been popular with tourists (is it because, with its cobblestones and plethora of checked tablecloths and accented waiters, it feels a little like Europe?), but less so with Melburnians (perhaps due to the tourists?). In any case, on a warm summer's night it's packed, which is why alarm bells ring as we approach Claypots Barbarossa, the quietest eatery on the strip.
The restaurant is the third for Renan Goksin, who opened the original Claypots in St Kilda in 1987 and might have taken his design cues for this latest from its namesake, Barbarossa, the pirate protagonist of the 1953 film, Raiders of the Seven Seas.
Claypots Barbarossa.Credit: Armelle Habib
The interior is vaguely shiplike, all unvarnished wood with a lower deck and stairs leading up to the kitchen. Bookshelves line the upper reaches of the restaurant, giving it a homely feel, and the turquoise and orange outdoor furniture provides a needed splash of colour, but it's not the sort of decor that drives business.
Based on our visit, you don't come here for the service, either. The chef who delivers some of our dishes wears a winning smile, but when there's only one other couple in the restaurant, you don't expect to wait 20 minutes to be asked if you're ready to order. Just as well, then, that the produce – freshly delivered from Clamms Seafood – make up for just about everything else.
Our entrée of sambal stingray is cooked to perfection and doused in a succulent, sweet sauce. They don't have the lobster roll (a shame, as it's reportedly excellent), but we are more than happy with the grilled fish sandwich substitute (a cut above your average focaccia). Grilled swordfish with pink peppercorn salsa is terrifically tender, and the mashed potatoes that come with it are lemony and incredibly moreish – the best spuds I've tasted in a long time. The king prawns are fat and flavoursome, and our salads – one Greek, with a piquant olive jam, and another of grilled Mediterranean vegetables with feta – are fresh and light.
Much of the wine comes in civilised carafes and the overall effect, as with many of Hardware Lane's eateries, is to make you feel as if you're enjoying a Mediterranean holiday. Never mind where the madding crowd is dining, though. At Claypots, I suspect you'll eat much better.
79 Hardware Lane, Melbourne; (03) 9670 5255; facebook.com/claypotsbarbarossa.