23 Jul Naked For Satan, Fitzroy

I’ve been interested in this restaurant for a while and after hearing about their $9 lunch it was time to finally make a trip. It’s actually very close to Johnston St so it’s a very minor detour between home and uni. The downstairs pintxos (pronounced pinchos) and bar area is Naked for Satan, whilst the upstairs bar and restaurant is called Naked in the Sky. At first I thought the $9 lunch was a single daily special, but it turns out the whole lunch menu for Naked in the Sky is $9 (or less) on weekdays. I was surprised to see a 400g sirloin steak being offered for the same price. I overheard a waiter telling another table that moving down the menu, the dishes become larger.

Naked in the Sky Lunch Menu

Slow Cooked Cider Beef Cheek on White Bean and Potato Puree

Still slightly disappointed that I missed out on having the ox cheek at Livingroom the other week, my eyes gravitated towards the slow cooked cider beef cheek on white bean and potato puree. The sauce was rich and tasty and had a swirl of some kind of herb-based, green-coloured olive oil. I’m not sure what herbs were on top of the beef, but it was fresh-tasting and I enjoyed the extra texture the beans added to the puree. The cheek itself was of a decent size for the price, and incredibly tender and juicy. Some parts had a bit of crispiness to it. I couldn’t taste much cider but I’m sure it contributed to the tenderising process. This dish was really good value.

I was in a pig-out mood, so on the way out I couldn’t help trying some of the pintxos on offer downstairs. Pintxos are similar to tapas, except the ingredients are fixed to a slice of bread with toothpicks (or similar). On weekday lunches and dinner from Sunday to Wednesday, pintxos are $1 each rather than $2. It works on an honesty system, with customers presenting their used toothpicks to the cashier to be counted; a bit like sushi train, except it’s a lot easier to hide toothpicks than plates. There were around 15 cold pintxos on the counter (mostly savoury but a few sweet ones) and occasionally a staff member will walk around offering hot pintxos fresh from the kitchen. Speaking to a waiter I found out that there are about 30 cold pintxos and 25 hot pintxos that are slowly rotated every few days, or even on the same day. I suppose it depends on availability of ingredients. The tortilla looked good, but I was too full to eat a whole one. Instead I went with Squid Ink Risoni with Grilled Calamari, Octopus with Chickpea, Smoked Trout with Cornichon and Onion. I don’t usually eat sweets, but I couldn’t resist the Rich Chocolate Ball with Pistachio. They were all quite nice, though the octopus was a little difficult to eat.

The food here was good and cheap; I’ll definitely be back.

Naked In The Sky
285 Brunswick St
Fitzroy, VIC, 3065
http://www.nakedforsatan.com.au/