After 18 years at France-Soir, Franck Sammut opens Upper Middle in South Melbourne with a simple, warm, European-leaning menu.
A new South Melbourne venue is taking the idea of “easy dining” seriously, and its creator says the goal is to make people feel welcome the moment they walk in.
Franck Sammut, known for long stints across Melbourne hospitality including 18 years in front-of-house at France-Soir, is launching his first venue, Upper Middle, opening Tuesday May 4.. Rather than chasing hype, Sammut’s pitch is stripped-back hospitality: warmth, simplicity, and the belief that not every meal needs to be engineered.
That mindset shows up across the opening menu led by head chef Lakshay Kapoor, with a focus on pizza and baguette sandwiches, plus a European-leaning brunch. The daytime offering is built around familiar formats, but with choices that stay classic rather than flashy.
A big part of the concept is how the food is handled, from bread to toppings, because the venue’s comfort-first approach depends on that everyday rhythm.
Baguettes arrive in a shorter style prepared at Baker In The Rye, then finished in Upper Middle’s ovens, with fillings that skew classic but generous.. Options include tomato and basil pesto, DOP prosciutto with stracciatella, and house-cured salmon with dill cream, fennel and capers.. There’s also a poached chicken version featuring kipfler potato, grilled peppers and a sharp house dressing.
Pizza dough is made in-house, and the topping list stays intentionally restrained. The opening selection includes a balanced margherita and a potato pizza with rosemary and parmesan, alongside richer combinations such as ’nduja with salami and jalapeno honey, plus prawns with lemon and herbs.
Brunch continues the theme with 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, except for pasteis de nata from Casa Nata, while coffee comes from St Ali.
To drink, guests can expect cold-pressed juices, smoothies, and a short list of wines by the glass, including sparkling and pinot gris, plus a small run of reds.. Upper Middle will start with daytime trade and an easy casual evening service that suits quick lunches, low-key dinners and frequent walk-ins.
Sammut says a more formal dining room is planned for later in the year, but the intention remains the same: not to make a good time feel difficult or out of reach.. In this context, that promise matters as much as the menu, because it signals a shift toward hospitality that feels personal instead of performative.
The venue space, designed by Melbourne studio In Addition, draws on European bakery culture with the making and display of food at the centre.. A palette of green, timber and stone is softened with vintage French newspaper clippings, and a feature wall anchors the room with photographs from Sammut’s father’s old restaurant, La Brasserie, which opened on Toorak Road in 1991, offering a lived-in sense of history as Upper Middle begins its own chapter.
Upper Middle, 34 Eastern Road, South Melbourne. No phone. Hours: Sun to Wed 7am–4pm; Thu to Sat 7am–4pm and 7pm–late. @uppermiddlesouthmelb