Exclusive first look: What’s on the menu at Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie

Pickett’s Deli and & Rotisserie

Melbourne chef and restaurateur Scott Pickett opens Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie in the Queen Victoria Market tomorrow, Tuesday 27 September. The deli is a casual European-style eatery and wine bar all in one, a complement to the chef’s dégustation-only showpiece, ESP, his Estelle Bistro in Northcote, and the glam Saint Crispin on Smith Street. Here’s Pickett’s inside running on the menu.

Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie, 503 Elizabeth St, Melbourne, Vic, open seven days, 7am-11pm, pickettsdeli.com

Photography James Morgan, Interview Maggie Scardifield

Pickett’s charcuterie and coffee station

“We’ve got the rôtisserie carving area, and then the oysters, charcuterie and snacks section,” says Scott Pickett. “There’ll be a guy shucking oysters, another guy carving rôtisserie of the day; there’s always something going on. You can come in and get coffee and your egg-and-bacon buttie for breakfast, pop by for a roast chicken and glass of wine at lunch, and, in the evening, come back for a snack and cocktails, oysters, charcuterie and the whole hog.”

Asparagus, broken egg and saltbush

“This is a great spring side for chook. The asparagus is from a good mate of ours, an old-timer by the name of John Hobson. Hobbo is about 70 and is as particular about his asparagus as I am about my chickens. For opening we’re char-grilling the spears and serving them with a soft-boiled egg and a confit shallot dressing with saltbush and wild garlic.”

Anchovy, lardo and rye, and chickpeas, ears and Espelette

“We fry up rye loaf from Cobb Lane Bakery in a little bit of pork fat, wrap it in our house-cured and smoked lardo, and then add the Ortiz anchovy, fried parsley and a little bit of gremolata on top. It’s a great prelude to the chook: Negroni in one hand, and a big, dirty anchovy croûton in the other. Sounds like a good Friday afternoon to me.”

Pickett’s rôtisserie bacon

“This bacon is quite a process. We’re using Greenvale Farm pork bellies. They’re sugar-, salt- and spice-rubbed, cured for 10 days, rinsed and then air-dried for five to six days until it’s smoking time. We cold-smoke them over hickory and red gum for six hours – it makes for super-deep and smoky bacon. It then spends around two or three hours on the rôtisserie. We want nicely rendered fat, crisp crackle, and a deep burnt-orange-red colour. You can have it straight up – a simple plate of bacon with brown sauce – or at breakfast time, in a flour buttie with a fried egg.”

Pickett’s charcuterie

“Our charcuterie board will change depending on what we’re working on. We make some of the meats ourselves – the wagyu bresaola, pork and pistachio terrine, the pickles, and the rabbit rillettes. Then we get some jamón, prosciutto and some different salumi from other providores within the market.”

Rôtisserie chicken, stuffing and gravy

“Our stuffing is made with all our leftover breads, and will change with the seasons to use different fruit and herbs. Our spring stuffing is super-herby with lots of chervil, chives, tarragon and parsley. We soak the breadcrumbs in chicken fat first. It’s a bit like my nan’s one, but I’ve developed it over the years.

“If you order a whole roast chook at Pickett’s it will be presented in the copper pan at the table, then we cut it down to the joints, and serve it back to you again in the copper. It’s a really nice touch.”

Rôtisserie du jour baguette

“This is a roast chicken baguette with house-made aïoli and herbs in a Cobb Lane baguette. The filling will change day to day; roasted rib of beef with horseradish, say, or loin of pork with sage and apple. We want them to be rotating classics – a bit like old family favourites that give you a sense of nostalgia.”

Wagyu meatballs, cuttlefish and jamón crumbs

“We’re using Sher wagyu from Ballan in western Victoria. We braise the meatballs in a tomato sugo with squid ink, and then the cuttlefish is shaved super-finely and fried to sit on top. You get a lovely contrast between the black and white of the squid, and the jamón crumbs add a great little crunch.”

Steak tartare, bottarga and pommes pailles

“With all the roasted meats on the rôtisserie it’s really nice to showcase something that’s just cured and raw. It’s a little bit lighter for everyone. We’re using grass-fed Victorian beef from Gippsland. We top it with shaved bottarga, a confit egg yolk and the classic straw potatoes, pommes pailles. The potatoes sit on the side so you can pick at them if you want, or I sprinkle them on top and mix them through for some extra crunch and texture.”

Rum baba with rôtisserie pineapple

“We wanted to use the rôtisserie for not just savoury, but also for something sweet. Roasted pineapple is such a classic. We cook it in a spiced-sugar syrup, slowly first, and then take it out and sit it on a vertical spit that’s been custom-designed just for the pineapple. (Yes, really! We had a special bracket made.) The rôtisserie gives the fruit a gorgeous char and smoke, and we baste it with the syrup as it turns.

“I worked for Philippe Mouchel for many years, first at Restaurant Paul Bocuse in the late ’90s. I asked Philippe for Paul Bocuse’s rum baba recipe and now it’s on the menu at the deli as Philippe’s rum baba. It’s a classic from one of the greatest chefs who ever lived. And who doesn’t love great French rum?”

Pickett’s Deli and Rotisserie

“We’ve worked with Hirsch Bedner Associates on the fit-out; they did ESP with me as well. I wanted it to have a little bit of the fine-dining, but in more of a casual, New York deli sort of way. I wanted it to be accessible, so that’s why there’s one big communal table; I think it’s fun and relaxed to dine this way.”

The produce wall at Pickett’s Deli

“The shelves are all lined with our house-made pickles: preserved lemons, pickled quince, dill pickles, the list goes on. On the back wall we’re also trying to showcase as much Victorian and local produce as we can: Mount Zero sea salt, lentils and chickpeas, for example, as well as great Italian aged balsamics, Vialone Nano risotto rice and Ortiz anchovies. Everything lining the shelves will be used somewhere on the menu.”

Chefs Scott Pickett and Aaron Brodie

“Aaron [Brodie] has been my head chef in Estelle and Estelle Bistro; we’ve worked together for the past three and half years. He’ll be at the Rotisserie full-time, and between now and Christmas I’ll be there during the day. I try and have Sundays off, but it’s a busy day at the markets, so I reckon that might move to Mondays now.”

Rôtisserie chicken and hand-cut chips

“The chickens we’re using on the rôtisserie are a rotation of Bannockburn and Milawa chooks. I like both products, so I didn’t want to choose one over the other, and we really want to showcase what’s available in the deli hall at the markets, too.

“The chips are cut by hand, fried to order, and shaken with our own chicken and herb salt. We crisp up fried chicken skin, and, after it’s dried, blitz it with fine salt and herbs. It’s awesome.”