Winning feeling

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

Attica

Melbourne

Attica has been evolving since it opened more than a decade ago but since Ben Shewry’s buy-out of his business partners a few years back, the evolution has become bolder and more experimental. From what’s on the plate to the restaurant’s culture, an always-interesting restaurant is morphing into something even more intriguing.

And the inspiration behind the changes doesn’t always come from expected sources.

Shewry, a diehard music fan and sometime DJ, cites ’80s punk band Fugazi as an influence on how he approaches Attica. “Fugazi is a band that’s all about self-publishing, self-creating, self-funding and doing everything themselves,” he says. “They have full independence, full creative control and kind of give the finger to the establishment, while on the other side, they’re absolutely taking care of their fans. I like that hardcore mentality paired with the desire to not want to screw people.”

So how does the Fugazi model work in the context of an internationally acclaimed restaurant?

For starters, the dining room and service has become looser, more relaxed, while still maintaining a remarkable level of precision. Then there’s the awareness of the mental health of his staff that’s brought about four-day weeks and shifts allocated in the restaurant’s kitchen gardens, bringing fresh air and daylight to the equation.

There’s also a deeper engagement with first Australians, not just in terms of ingredients (something he’s been exploring for years), but in learning about and understanding the cultural context and history of those ingredients. It’s this thirst for knowledge that has made the increasingly native ingredient-focused food at Attica move beyond trend towards an understanding of cultural legacy and connection. And with that greater