Melbourne’s tiny restaurant, Chae, hasn’t opened for eight months over planning permit application

Melbourne’s tiniest and most in-demand restaurant hasn’t traded in eight months — and one thing’s to blame.

Melbourne’s popular tiny Korean restaurant, Chae, has been caught up in council red tape since relocating to the suburbs.

The six-seater, reservation-only eatery, which at one time had 6000 people on its waitlist, moved from its one-bedroom Brunswick apartment base to a three-bedroom home in Cockatoo in the outer southeast last August.

Chae’s Jung Eun Chae. Picture: Rebecca Michael

Head chef Jung Eun Chae and her husband, Yoora Yoon, took a hiatus from the business to move into their new home and transform it into a restaurant, which included renovating the kitchen to meet health and safety guidelines.

But Cardinia Shire Council appears to be dragging its feet, with the planning permit still under assessment eight months on.

In the meantime, restaurateur Iain Ling has invited Chae to take up residency in the private dining room of his pub The Lincoln Arms to churn through a backlog of bookings.

A council spokesperson last week said the permit remains under assessment and a decision has not yet been made.

Chae’s June reservations open May 1.

Cheese train opens in Geelong

A cheesy idea on a night out fast became a gouda business venture for Jo Bangles.

The cheese lover was out for Japanese with friends when she questioned the sushi train in front of them.

“Why do they only serve sushi on these things?” she said.

That innocent remark led Bangles to launch Australia’s first cheese train, Splatters, serving entry-level to high-end cheeses.

Splatters founder Jo Bangles at her new cheese train restaurant in Geelong. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Like the train, Bangles and her partner Tennille Moisel’s business has come full circle – starting as a cheese van touring the festival circuit in 2017, evolving into a lockdown platter hustle and since February, a bricks and mortar store in the heart of Geelong.

“It’s pretty wild to say it out loud – I can’t believe I own a cheese bar,” Bangles said.

“I’m a huge fan of wine and cheese bars, but you usually get what you’re given when it comes to cheese. I wanted to put cheese first so you can ‘cheese’ your own adventure.”

Splatters seats 25 people at one time with 20 plates zipping along a 20m conveyor belt each served with an appropriate accompaniment.

Cheese plates start at $5. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Expect a variety of cheese – from washed rind, white mould, semi-hard, blue and chevre to more interesting styles such as camembert truffle brie and camel milk cheese.

Bangles is considerate of all budgets, with plates costing between $5 to $14, and supports female and local producers where she can.

“We are taking bookings into July now. We’ve seen a lot of group bookings with 60 to 70 per cent of our customers from out of town,” she said.

Splatters Cheese Bar, 168-170 Pakington St, Geelong West

Botswana Butchery is opening in May. Picture: Anna Kucera

Steak season

Our Kiwi neighbours must have heard the Friday long lunch was back.

New Zealand steakhouse Botswana Butchery will open its long-awaited CBD restaurant on Flinders Lane next month, after a two-year Covid delay.

The Melbourne outpost is the second for Good Group Hospitality, which recently launched a Sydney restaurant off the back of its successful Queenstown and Auckland venues.

Angel Fernandez (Dante, New York) has come on as culinary director, slinging prime cuts, game and seafood over flame across three levels of the 300-seater space.

Think grass-fed Cape Grim select, Blackmore wagyu and the signature “roaring forties” lamb shoulder. Botswana Butchery is the second grillhouse to open in the city, joining Chris Lucas’s Grill Americano, which opened in March.

Corner Flinders Ln and Exhibition St, Melbourne, botswanabutchery.com.au

Delicious things

Some of Melbourne’s best chefs will teach us how to cook their popular restaurant dishes at home in a new eight-part video series called Make it Delicious.

Lollo and Tonka chef Adam D’Sylva will share the secrets of his famed duck lasagne recipe and Sydney fish whisperer Josh Niland will cook his cod roll with cod gravy.

Hosted by Darren Robertson, with special guests including Melbourne chefs Khanh Nguyen (Sunda, Aru), Yumi Stynes and Peter Gilmore.

Watch Make it delicious., proudly supported by Massel, weekly at delicious.com.au/makeitdelicious

Easter feaster

After two years with no public festivities, here’s how you can celebrate the holy holiday with family, friends and fabulous food.

On the Mornington Peninsula, Pt Leo Estate is hosting the ultimate Easter egg hunt with more than 3000 Koko Black eggs hidden throughout the estate’s sculpture park. Tickets cost $40 per child (aged up to 12) with the hunt kicking off from 10am.

Yugen Tea Bar’s tea sommelier Thibaut Chuzeville. Picture: Mark Stewart

In central Victoria, Bendigo marks 150 years of its Easter Fair with six family-friendly events held across four days, including an egg hunt on Good Friday and Gala Parade through the city streets on Easter Monday.

If ordering in is more your thing, South Yarra’s posh Yugen Tea Bar, has created a special selection of treats to enjoy at home, such as the Yugen Easter Chocolate Bon Bons in hot cross bun, carrot, ginger and walnut, and lemon and vanilla flavours ($31 for box of nine) or the Lilly Tart of spiced milk chocolate, coconut and mango jam (serves up to two people).

Piccolina’s cold cross bun gelato.

Ned’s hot cross buns.

Cult gelataria Piccolina has bought back its gelato-filled Easter eggs in cold cross bun, caramello and Ferrerolina flavours. Each egg comes in a tin, costs $39 and serves two to three people. Pre-orders are essential.

It wouldn’t be Easter without hot cross buns — Chadstone’s Black Star Pastry spikes its with fruit and citrus and finishes with a frankincense glaze. Ned’s (Armadale, South Yarra, Middle Park) makes traditional brioche fruit buns or chocolate versions, ($4 each/ $22 half-dozen), and Brunetti Classico bakes both traditional and nutella-flavoured buns (from $4.20 each/ $24 half dozen).

After some last minute Good Friday seafood? Sydney-based Manetta’s delivers to Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula, but make sure you order by today to make the cut off.