It is the quiet contemplation of a taste, the memory evoked by an aroma, a familiar shadow painted against the wall. It is the discussion of food, cuisine, culture and the history of which it was inspired. A painting with orange hues illuminating an experience shared and given, and we recommend that you step through their doors and into their world.
Jesse and Vanessa Gerner have steered the Añada ship for almost two decades. A ship that, along the way to its eventual port in Fitzroy, Melbourne, stopped throughout Europe and North Africa, and picked up a cargo of inspiration across Andalusia, Southern Spain and the Muslim bazaars of the Mediterranean.
These merchants of cuisine and masters of taste have created something special here. A menu, which you could call authentic and yet is so much more than that.
The evolution of taste and the diffusion of cultures all work together on the plate, its authenticity? Well, that lies within the hands of those who make it. Their experiences and pasts are melted together wonderfully within the nations that inspired them, and so, an intimate and poetic setting is born. Warm and momentary, Añada is a place that could exist on the pages of New York and Paris. Now, and in the long past.
It is needless to say that Jesse and Vanessa know what they are doing. Añada fast became a Fitzroy staple, and upon their reputations and their experience they were able to open Bomba, Nomada, Samuel Pepys, Capital Coffee Roasters and Armada Imports. Their success is measured in the quality of what they do, and the quality is measured in tonnes.
The couple’s fingerprints can be seen in every inch of Añada. There is a passion in all that they do and that passion is reflected throughout the experience. And that is truly what Añada has to offer, an experience.
Spanish infused dishes that are as beautiful to admire as to taste. A wine to go with every bite, a brandy to go with every moment.
There is little reason, we admit, for us to write a bite by bite review of their menu. And we feel it a little too pretentious to try or to want to describe tastes and ingredients as though we were spoon-feeding you ourselves. Instead, our job is to merely share with you the story, the feeling, the theme of a place. For that, I hope we have done Añada justice.
We recommend and adore, Añada.
Bon Appetite.
Address
197 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne, VIC 3065
Website
Phone
03 9415 6101
Opening Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 6pm – Late
