No, Anchovy is not a pizza shop. It’s Thi Le’s first restaurant after having worked at kitchens including Cumulus Inc, Supernormal and The Town Mouse. They describe the food as Asian Australian, influenced by Southeast Asian and modern Australian cuisine. Today though, Le’s genius has been applied to celebrate the new season of Spring lamb.

We whet our tastebuds with succulent Masala lamb ribs and Isaan lamb sausage with lemongrass. There’s plenty of spice in the seared lamb backstrap with its jungle spices, fried shallots and herbs, and Middle Eastern influences are seen in the lamb shoulder lahmacun, sumac, raisins and parsley.

The highlight of the meal is the lamb leg served with banh tieu, pickles and herbs, garlic sauce, green chilli and coriander sauce. Tender lamb and beautiful sauces are packed into the slightly sweet banh tieu, which have a nice, slight chewiness to them. Soursop, sheep’s milk, apple and mint granita is a light and refreshing end to the meal.

The lunch today really showcased the versatility of lamb: the wide range of flavours it can be paired with, and the types of dishes and occasions its can be used for. I look forward to coming in to Anchovy one day to try their regular menu.

Disclaimer: I was invited to Anchovy as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are based on my experience at the time

Anchovy
338 Bridge Rd
Richmond, VIC, 3121
(03) 9428 3526
anchovy.net.au