Former Rare Hare, Du Nord and Huxtable chef Matti Fallon is about to start building the restaurant of his dreams on the Mornington Peninsula, bringing to life an idea that’s been four years in the making.

Combining aspects of Japanese listening bars, casual all-day venues and a seafood-forward menu, Colt Dining will open at the beach end of Mornington’s main street this spring.

Fallon has been poring over design decks, drinks lists and a notebook of dish ideas as he draws closer to realising his first venue, a prospect that seemed imminent before a series of curveballs, including brain surgery, a move to Byron Bay and the birth of twins. Now, it’s all systems go.

Colt will weave together several ideas Fallon has had in his head for many years, including Lazy Susan’s, a Chinese restaurant playing vinyl that he first floated in 2019, or the produce-forward cooking that he was practising at Rare Hare.

The Mornington-born chef is excited to bring something more elevated to the popular peninsula spot, which currently leans heavily on fast-casual dining. While he wants Colt to be relaxed and fun, with DJ booths part of the build, quality plates will be coming out of a kitchen that cooks mostly over fire.

Slipper lobster cooked over coal, perhaps, paired with a bourbon beurre blanc, sweet-and-sour lamb ribs with wattleseed, or chicken maryland with corn and goat cheese soubise. Much of the seafood will come from Fallon’s fisherman brother.

Booth seating, joinery, “wall-to-wall vinyl” and clashing colours will define the space.

9A Main Street, Mornington, @colt_dining

Harry Mangat cooking at Red Hill Food Store

The pizzas at Red Hill Food Store have given way to fenugreek-spiced bread and house-made paneer after dark. Harry Mangat, of Biji Dining, a roaming Indian-Australian pop-up kitchen, is cooking on Saturday and Sunday nights at the Mornington Peninsula favourite, offering dishes a la carte instead of his usual set menu.

Until June 18, you’ll find a Keralan curry of snapper, slow-cooked Gippsland lamb shoulder in a coconut sauce with curry leaf, and cured kingfish with tamarind, yoghurt and cumin crackers.

Bookings are recommended for the chef’s final weeks before Mangat departs for a long trip to Europe. He expects to be back doing pop-ups on the peninsula next summer.

The former Ides and Doot Doot Doot chef’s previous Biji appearances have included Avani Wines, also in Red Hill, and Little Andorra in Carlton North.

137 Shoreham Road, Red Hill, 03 5989 2733, @bijidining

Old-school milkshakes, scones and more at a dairy parlour

Dromana has become a destination for discerning lovers of dairy. A shop trimmed in blue and white, selling Gippsland milk in glass bottles, milkshakes, ice-cream, Devonshire tea and more, opened in February and continues to add to its range.

Dairy Lane is the first retail rodeo for Matthew Joscelyne but he brings years working as a dairy exporter and several generations of farming heritage. Poring over old family recipes of his grandmother and great-aunt during lockdown, he became inspired to open a milk bar in the old-fashioned sense of the word.

Milk, cream and butter are delivered twice a week from four small Gippsland dairies, mostly milking Jersey cows. Those products are available to buy and also go into Victorian sponge cakes, ice-cream and milkshakes in flavours such as salted caramel or peppermint with leatherwood honey. High tea is served at weekends on vintage crockery.

A local focus extends to jam, made “up the hill” in Dromana by Mumma Made and used in lamingtons and sponges, and cheese that is layered into three- and five-cheese toasties from Rye cheesemakers The Truffet Emporium.

Open Tue & Thu 8am-5pm, Fri noon-5pm, Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 9am-5pm

27 Pier Street, Dromana, dairylane.com.au