Itinerant Spirits restaurant review 2024: Kara Monssen visits Ballarat’s The Goods Shed

Stalwart restaurants are closing, while others hang on by a thread—so can this Melbourne mega venue turn things around for the regional city? Our critic thinks so.

Itinerant Spirits, Ballarat’s new distillery opposite the train station, will cure what ails you with its drinks line-up.

Order a “flavoured vodka” at the country pub and watch a cranberry or lime spiked drink get thrust into your hand.

At the distillery next to Ballarat train station, the term takes on a new meaning.

“Our vodka isn’t a neutral spirit,” our waiter says, as she hands me a shot.

“We actually want our vodka to taste like something”.

At Itinerant Spirits, it certainly does.

Vanilla biscuits, shortbread and sweet pastry, an unforgiving liquor whack.

It’s nothing like I’ve tasted before, then again, Ballarat hasn’t seen anything like Itinerant Spirits.

Thank Melbourne gin guru Brad Wilson for his fine work, and his drive to make his next distillery — inside revamped The Goods Shed — unlike his small city bar Little Lon.

Hats off also to chef Konstantin ‘Konny’ Putkin (Galvin at Windows; London) for bringing miso and sesame parfait, “ash” bao buns and crudités to the bush. We’ll get to this soon.

The Goods Shed finally opened last November after a squillion dollar investment, turning the run-down rail yard sheds from pigeon palace to thriving hospo hub.

Wilson and business partner Craig Ryan (Quest Apartments) run the distillery, one of three venues inside the old bluestone.

The drinks are on point at Itinerant Spirits.

Mega Melbourne caterer The Atlantic Group oversee the entire food program and run two of its own restaurants in the space: all-day eatery Nolans and snack kiosk Boomtime Dumplings.

Konny taps into these kitchens to create a ‘best of’ menu for Itinerant.

While it makes more sense to give the pub its own offering, I don’t mind the weirdly wonderful mix of woodfire pizzas, glistening bowls of special fried rice and dumpling taster baskets.

Remember, this is food for serious boozing.

Speaking of drinks, start with a vodka soda or gin and tonic distilled here and abroad.

Try homemade hits with a spirits flight ($20/$28)— including a nip of the un-aged ‘new make’ whisky (which drinks like liquid All Bran).

Or splurge on cocktail flights filled with negronis, gin fizz and vodka sours, ($45), or for more sensible occasions, western Victorian and Ballarat wine and beer will do just fine.

Some venues come into their own with the seasons and Itinerant is very much for the winter months.

Ballarat’s “famous” fried rice could do with some tweaks.

Cosy booths and lounges near the fireplace (reserve your spot online) will no doubt bring intimacy to heaving 140-seater, while stools at the bar overlooking the distillery make the perfect snack pit-stop.

Jet black bao buns ($17), akimbo with braised beef cheek, pickled daikon and cucumber, are a tad dry though made up by those tender meat tresses and robust masterstock sauce.

I reckon you’ll be fighting the kids for the crudités ($20)— all snap fresh and spritely — swiped in a sunflower miso dip bounding with flavour.

The dumpling taster basket ($23 for six) is brimming with the usual suspects — pork and prawn sui mai, prawn har gow — though the mushroom dumpling disguised as our fungi friend is deserving of a double take.

The place will come alive in the colder months.

Itinerant Spirits makes its own vodka, gin and whisky..

Special fried rice ($24) would shine even brighter if prawn and Chinese pork weren’t overcooked, though I’m not denying its magical sobering powers.

The nduja (spreadable salami) pizza is my favourite ($27)— humming in a spicy red sauce made from Itinerant’s vodka, pecorino cheese and hot jalepeno-spiked honey — though did you even go to Ballarat without eating a potato pizza? I’ll wait.

Caramelised miso mousse ($16), flecked with toasted sesame seeds, white chocolate and honeycomb hunks, is roadtrip worthy. I’d argue its too miso-heavy, but that didn’t stop me from sneaky another few bites.

Ballarat’s food scene is transitioning. Long-running restaurants are closing, others hanging by a thread. Whether the Melbourne hospitality giant will survive the transplant is unknown for now, though I think this is just what the doctor ordered. And with local lads flying Itinerant’s flag proudly, it’s bringing new flavour and dimension into the old gold town. Plus some mighty fine vodka and pizza.