From Saint Crispin to Saxe, chef Joe Grbac opens in the city

Chef Joe Grbac's first gig post-Saint Crispin has him flying solo. At Saxe, his two-level, stylishly renovated former pizza joint on Queen Street, Grbac is both chef and sole owner, something he finds both liberating and a little nerve-wracking.

"It's freeing to have no business partner because you can do what you want with the renovation and the food," he says. "On the other hand, it all comes down to me and me."

The space looks great, a recognisably Melburnian mix of rough (concrete floor, whitewashed brick walls) and polished (marble bar top, brass light fittings) with clean-lined timber furniture and a saxe blue banquette running the length of the upstairs dining room.

Joe Grbac is both chef and sole owner at Saxe. Photo: Eddie Jim

Downstairs it's all timber communal table, bar seating and an open kitchen that pumps out an all-day menu of bar snacks – oysters, charcuterie, yellowfin tuna served with charred broccoli and a smoky bonito vinaigrette) – plus cocktails and a good selection of Old and New World wine by the glass, courtesy of wine guy Marc Esteve Mateu (ex-Press Club).

The upstairs dining room toes a modern bistronomy line with classic European technique punctuated with occasional Asian accents as with aged duck breast served with black pudding and a hoisin jus.

A talented floor team, managed by Joey Commerford (ex-Vue de Monde), adds ballast to a brand new venture that's making a strong first impression.