“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.” If the adage holds true, then that which we call a restaurant, by any other name would still taste as good.

Melbournians will soon have a chance to test out Shakespeare’s famous theory, because the doors have opened at a chic new venue on Swan Street, which goes only by the mysterious moniker ‘untitled’.

The 100-seater Richmond restaurant has been a long time coming for co-owners David Abela, Andrew Ryan and Daniel Vid, who have been nurturing the project for three years. And it certainly looks to have been worth the wait.

Steps from the intersection of Church Street, untitled nestles in beside Ugly Duckling, a distinctly good-looking cocktail bar also owned by Abela, Ryan and Vid. The fit-out of untitled was conceptualised by David Flack of the acclaimed Flack Studio – expect liberal use of marble and warm woods, sumptuous textures and sinuous curves. 

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Chef Tim Martin (a graduate of Melbourne stalwarts The European and Taxi Dining Room) is behind a menu that draws inspiration from across Europe. Prosciutto from Emilia-Romagna paired with melon escabeche offers a modern take on a retro fave. A smoky terrine comes dressed with pickled zucchini. Potato gnocchi with a rich duck ragu gains nuance from the addition of native saltbush. The wine list borrows similarly from the best of Europe and Australia.

Three distinct dining and drinking areas flow over the multi-leveled space, from the ground floor with its dramatically curved bar up to the atmospheric dining room. As pent-up Melbournians start to enjoy their city once again, untitled delivers some much-needed Euro glamour.

Untitled opens today, Friday February 4 and is available to book now at bit.ly/-untitled-richmond

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