Youngs Wine Rooms restaurant, formerly Youngs Auctioneers and Valuers, opens in Hawthorn East
A former auction house has reopened its doors with a bang, swapping the hammer for a corkscrew. Youngs Wine Rooms has already had the seal of approval from lovers of Mediterranean food, but here’s what else this hot spot has to offer.
Inner East
Don't miss out on the headlines from Inner East. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It’s only been open two weeks but the locals are already sold on the transformation of an iconic Hawthorn East auction house.
Young’s, which closed in 2015, has been reborn as a hospo hot spot with James Klapanis opening a versatile wine bar with a focus on Mediterranean food.
VIETNAMESE CHEF BRINGS SCANDI CAFE OPPEN TO WINDSOR
MORNINGTON PENINSULA BAR’S $23 COCKTAIL MADE OF FOOD SCRAPS
FRANKSTON CAFE BOWL’D SERVING CUSTOMERS FROM FAR AND WIDE
The re-imagined space includes a dedicated cocktail bar, modern restaurant and alfresco-style internal courtyard.
Mr Klapanis said he was drawn to the location following overwhelmingly positive feedback after opening his Vietnamese eatery St Cloud’s Eating House on Burwood Rd in 2015.
“The success of St Cloud proves just how ripe the area is for quality hospitality venues that are a dime a dozen in the CBD,” Mr Klapanis said.
“This area is a growing neighbourhood with an ever more sophisticated and discerning public, who has been starved of good eateries for quite some time.”
A soft launch of Young’s Wine Rooms two weeks ago confirmed it, with the venue full every night and the restaurant holding two sittings on Fridays and Saturdays.
“We wanted time to fine tune,” Mr Klapanis said.
“But even with very little publicity — just a few posts on the St Cloud Instagram — we’ve been really busy.”
Mr Klanpanis said when it came to naming the new venture it was hard to go past its original moniker.
“This building is about 100 years old and everyone knows it as Young’s,” he said.
The menu explores tastes of Southern Italy, the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, Anatolia, Dalmatia and the Istrian coast influenced by the French-driven technique of head chef Nicola Akritidis.
Akritidis has an impressive resume include stints on the pans at Vue de Monde, Attica, Longrain and more recently South Melbourne favourite Park Street Pasta and Wine.
He is backed by a diverse team of chefs with Turkish, Italian, Spanish and Greek heritage.
The wine list offers a mix of emerging and established Australian labels alongside classic drops from France, Italy and Spain and more adventurous tipples from Georgia, Greece and Croatia.
The strip’s hospitality credentials will be further strengthened with the launch of East End Wine Bar next door.
The intimate wine bar and bottle shop is owned by Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn and his business partner and is expected to open in a few months.
“We’re thrilled to be sharing the site with the boys next door and together I think we can create a buzzing hospitality destination that will become an institution of its own for decades to come,” Mr Klapanis said.
Youngs Wine Room is at 227-229 Camberwell Rd.
MORE NEWS
INVESTIGATION INTO CHILD SEX ABUSE CLAIMS AT DE LA SALLE COLLEGE
Ultimate club-by-club NPL Victoria season preview
The NPL Victoria season is officially underway. Check out all the ins and outs and star players at every club. Plus, our premiership predictions for the NPL and VPL seasons.
Pictures: Victorian preppies start their first day of school
About 70,000 Victorian grade prep students have started their first year of school this week. Check back to see all the photos from primary schools across the state.