First look: New bar and diner Polk
New Glenelg diner Polk is serving up Asian-fusion and summer cocktails in a bright, bar-meets-coastal diner space.
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“Polk Salad Annie, the ’gators got your granny,” crooned a jump-suited Elvis in 1970. It was a hummable song that stuck in Pete Arbon’s head, and the word Polk came to him when thinking about what to call his new restaurant in Glenelg South.
“I wanted to call it Polk Salad, but everyone said ‘You can’t call it salad’,” says Pete. “But people said Polk sounds interesting – and our interior designer said she liked the name and it looks good on signage.”
So a glowing neon Polk sign soon graced 114 Partridge St, a space vacated by highly rated Peruvian joint Mestizo Cocina Peruana. Interior designer Michelle Attard – who lives in the street – has delivered a bright, bar-meets-coastal diner space that complements the Asian-fusion dishes.
Pete owns Thai restaurant Sabai, also on Partridge St, which opened in 2006 when Glenelg South was way off the beaten foodie track.
“It’s a little community here, now,” Pete says. “That’s why we thought there’s room for another Asian-style restaurant in the area. We’re hoping people will love it.”
The Polk kitchen teams talented chefs Rigzin Dorji Wangmo from Bhutan and Daao Chiengsaengthong from Thailand. Front of house is the always smiling Mel Phiriyathorn (Sabai, Seafaring Fools).
Rigzin is trained in Japanese cuisine, allowing for a menu that includes handmade gyoza, tempura and an already popular kangaroo tataki.
The bar offers cocktails (including a knockout Vietnamese espresso martini), craft beers (Rehn, Stockade Brew Co, Mornington Peninsula, Brewboys) and a wine list that traverses the regions – Mr Hyde, Pike & Joyce, Lost Buoy, Jeanneret. Beware of the Ginger Kid ginger beer – at 8 per cent it’s not for kids, ginger or otherwise.
While Sabai is regularly booked out in advance, Polk is walk-ins only – “We don’t even have a phone number,” says Pete.
“We want to this place to be about word of mouth. If we look after locals like we do at Sabai we’ll have plenty of business. People in this area love going out and that’s what we’re looking for – to be supported by locals.”
4pm-late Tue-Sat, 114 Partridge St, Glenelg South, Facebook: PolkBarandRestaurant