Best places to eat and drink around Melbourne and Victoria this weekend
Whether you want great eats by the beach, a parma to hit the road for or a hot new Brunswick brunch, these are the best places to eat and drink this weekend.
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Whether you want great eats by the beach, a parma to hit the road for or a hot new Brunswick brunch, these are the best places to eat and drink this weekend.
FOR BEERS BY THE BEACH
Summertime gladness
Long St Kilda’s favourite spot for a good ol’ Sunday session in the sun — and still is — Captain Baxter has had a marvellously bright and breezy makeover in time for this summer.
The expansive deck is the spot to soak up the rays, while in the Hamptons-chic dining room the retractable roof lets the sunshine in.
The dress code’s been loosened — coming in off the beach is now encouraged — but the team runs a tight ship. The young and pretty are here for the Pornstar martinis, while the rest of us are here to drink in the incredible view.
There’s a nice line in suitably themed cocktails — a Tiki-style Captain’s punch; a smoky “gunpowder margarita” — are augmented by clever booze-free creations, while $13.50 CUB pints and bright, local-leaning wines take care of bigger thirsts.
But it’s in the dining room where the real action is taking place. A large menu of summertime faves have been given inspired Asian twists, while the seafood platter and fish and chips are classics done with real class.
Set sail for St Kilda for fun in the sun.
St Kilda Sea Baths. captainbaxter.com.au
FOR A CHIP BUTTY WITH CLASS
A new Peninsula pub
From the same team from Mornington’s beloved wine bar Brass Razu comes this first floor English-style tavern, Admiral Arkle.
Boasting an expansive open-air balcony with water glimpses, inside is decked out in sea-shanty chic. Providing quiet respite from the busy Main St below, it’s a top spot for sips in the sun. The Admiral’s Ale — a crisp lager — is a quenching winner on a warm day, while thanks to the Brass Razu’s cellar, the wine list is filled with an excellent selection of local heroes.
To eat, by day the crumbed fish finger sandwich is not to be missed — though there will be many who can’t go past the chip butty — while the Ploughman’s Platter is a generous selection of mini pork pies, pate, Red Leicester and quail eggs.
Upstairs, 25A Main St, Mornington. admiralarkle.com.au
FOR A GREAT PUB FEED
Parma-rama
Sisters Kendra Clarke and Kylie Tabone and their partners have returned to East Gippsland to give the historic Grand Terminus Hotel that first opened in 1889 a new life.
Combining successful backgrounds in cafes and catering (Kendra) and pubs including the Spread Eagle in Richmond and the Cornish Arms in Brunswick (Kylie), they’ve given the bistro a smart lick of paint and revamped the menu to now quietly champion the best produce of this unsung food region.
Beef from Dalrose farm in Maffra is a mainstay, whether in smoky BBQ rib form served with crushed potatoes and green beans ($34), or between two buns in a homely burger. The chips — fat, beer-battered beauties — are great — served with the burger and the exemplary parma.
To start, don’t miss the mezze plate piled high with fabulous falafel, perfect with a pint from new Orbost brewery Sailor’s Grave.
Grand Terminus Hotel, 98 Macleod St, Bairnsdale. grandterminus.com.au
FOR A BRUNSWICK BRUNCH
Lovely Lobbs
Brunswick’s brunch game has just become even stronger with Lobbs. Up the top end of Sydney Rd opposite the IGA, Lobbs isn’t just another café thanks to the smarts of the Sahely family, the brains behind some of Melbourne’s best — setting up Square and Compass, Touchwood, Bawa and others.
Kael Sahely says they hope the new 400 sqm space becomes a community hub, with lots of large tables and banquette seating, space “for people to come and work” with a community noticeboard out the front. On the plate, he promises “no flowers, no microherbs, just food you want to eat”, with a bit of a Middle Eastern bent. Coffee will be by Vacation Roasting, and though “we’re first and foremost a café” Friday nights will see a small wine list, a few cocktails and beers served alongside snacks and such simple fare as big bowls of mussels.
Lobbs, 589 Sydney Rd, Brunswick.
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