Franck Sammut isn’t trying to open the next big thing. His first venue, Upper Middle, opening in South Melbourne on Tuesday May 4, strips things back to what he believes hospitality has lost: warmth, simplicity and a sense that not every dining experience needs to be engineered.
“Hospitality’s not complicated,” says Sammut, whose resume spans some of Melbourne’s most recognisable dining rooms, including 18 years working front-of-house at France-Soir, and stints at Bistro Thierry and Stokehouse. “It’s about making people feel welcome, warm and looked after – like they can just walk in and enjoy themselves without any thought.”
That philosophy runs through head chef Lakshay Kapoor’s menu, which centres on pizza and baguette sandwiches, and is backed by a European-leaning brunch.
Baguettes are a shorter style (around 30 centimetres long) and are prepared at Baker In The Rye and finished off in the Upper Middle ovens. Fillings lean classic but generous and include tomato and basil pesto; ribbons of DOP prosciutto layered with stracciatella; and house-cured salmon with dill cream, fennel and capers. There’s a poached chicken version too, with kipfler potato, grilled peppers and a sharp house dressing.
Pizza dough is made in-house, and the topping choices are also restrained. There’s a balanced margherita and a potato number with rosemary and parmesan. Richer combinations include ’nduja with salami and a hit of jalapeno honey, and prawns with lemon and herbs. “It’s just good produce, simply done,” Sammut says.
The brunch offering treads familiar territory with a European edge. There are truffled mushrooms on sourdough, brioche French toast with vanilla cream and berries, and eggs Benedict with whipped hollandaise. Pastries are sourced from AM Bakehouse in Glen Iris, with the exception of the pasteis de nata from Casa Nata.
To drink, there’s St Ali coffee, alongside cold-pressed juices, smoothies and a small list of wines by the glass including sparkling, pinot gris and a short run of reds.
The venue will open with daytime trade and casual evening service, allowing for quick lunches, low-key dinners and an easy walk-in rhythm. A more formal dining room is planned for later in the year, but even then, the intention isn’t to make the venue feel more exclusive. “I don’t want it to be challenging [for diners] to have a good time,” Sammut says.
The space, designed by Melbourne studio In Addition, draws on European bakery culture, placing the making and display of food at its centre. A layered palette of green, timber and stone is softened by vintage French newspaper clippings, giving the venue a lived-in feel from the beginning.
One wall in particular grounds the space with a collection of photographs from Sammut’s father’s old restaurant, La Brasserie, which opened on Toorak Road in 1991. Each image carries its own story, a nod to the hospitality culture Sammut grew up around, and is now trying to re-create in his own way.
