Society Restaurant Melbourne: Cult snack caviar pretzel and martini

Has Melbourne’s hot new restauarant Society created our next must-try snack and drink combo? Here’s when you can try it.

Bombe alaska, lobster roll and Vegemite curry roti are snacks synonymous with Melbourne’s food scene – and soon Society’s caviar pretzel and martini will join the mix.

The bougie snack and drink combo will be at the bar of Chris Lucas and Martin Benn’s behemoth at 80 Collins Melbourne, opening on June 22.

Bartender Orlando Marzo leads the cocktail program and worked with the duo to create a caviar-inspired martini to complement the must-try snack.

The canape-sized, cream-filled pretzel will be crowned with seasonal caviar, in this instance Osetra, but the Maison martini won’t feature the seafood delicacy.

Melbourne's most anticipated restaurant Society is behind the pretzel caviar and caviar martini. Picture: Rebecca Michael.

“I wanted the flavour to complement caviar, without simply distilling caviar,” Marzo said.

Marzo instead uses nori, butter, aperitif Lillet Blanc and vanilla to create the textural, aromatic drink.

It’ll be part of Society’s dedicated martini menu, along with contemporary seasonal cocktails, no-booze tipples, wine and beer.

Lucas said the bar was Society’s “beating heart” and sits between the building’s two restaurants – Society and Lillian Terrace.

The look and feel of the space was inspired by the team’s 2018 New York research trip.

The bar’s triangular curves are a nod to The Rock Mountains (seen by Lucas in a plane from above), the chandelier inspired by The Grill restaurant and the bar stools carved from fallen forest trees, which required permission from a Milan family business to use.

While it all sounds very posh, Lucas assures the restaurant and bar prices won’t be expensive.

“I like to over deliver with the experience, and the pricing from my point of view will always be super competitive and respectful of the environment,” he said.

Society Melbourne’s Jarryd Bryant and Orlando Marzo. Picture Rebecca Michael.

TEA TIME

Not many can say they’ve run a successful business at 21.

Nicole Fulham was 17 when she moved to Melbourne from Indonesia to chase her dreams of opening a bubble tea store.

Since 2019, Naröcha has been brewing and bubbling teas in the CBD, and this month, expanded to open its first franchise in Werribee.

“I’ve been passionate about business from a young age,” Fulham said.

“When I worked as a barista, I fell in love with industry.”

In lockdown, Fulham noticed a sales spike on products from Naröcha’s online store from Melbourne’s outer west and south eastern suburbs.

Narocha’s founder Nicole Culham. Picture: Tony Gough

“We had so many deliveries to the west and the southeast. There’s not a lot of bubble tea stores in those suburbs, so we saw it as great timing to open a store,” she said.

Naröcha, a name inspired by North American river otters, sells eight different tea varieties – and are all Fulham’s own recipes.

All drinks are brewed to order from tea leaves and health-inspired ingredients such as Japanese matcha powder, which is prepared using a traditional bamboo whisk.

Naröcha employees 35 staff across its two locations and has hopes of opening a new franchise in St Albans, Clayton or Springvale soon.

HiSylvia

CHEESE PLEASE

Cheese lovers can try up to 65 varieties of the dairy staple at a two-day CBD event.

The Collection by That’s Amore Cheesewill showcase the best of burrata, blue and buffalo among washed rind, truffle and cacio cavallo at Flinders Lane’s fortyfivedownstairs in August.

Throw together the ultimate cheese platter with Maker and Monger’s Anthony Femia, make mozzarella with That’s Amore founder Giorgio Linguanti and learn how to pair wine and cheese with international wine judge Anthony Nania in a series of masterclasses.

General admission tickets cost $35 which includes guided tastings, a glass of beer or wine on arrival and a mini cannolo.

Masterclasses are limited to 15 people and cost $70, including general admission.

Early bird general admission tickets for $30 on sale from July 14.

Bass and Flinders Distillery. Picture: Supplied.

SWEET SCENTS

Gin and perfume. Both share common botanical and floral characteristics, and on July 25, they’ll be the centre of a one-offmasterclass by Bass and Flinders Distillery and Perfume Playground. Find your favourite scent based on gin or vice versa.

Master scent designer Samantha Copland and head distiller Holly Klintworth will host the three-hour class at the MorningtonPeninsula distillery. Only 30 tickets available, $300 per person, which includes an 8ml fragrance, 500ml bottle of gin, chocolate, cheese platter and more.

Darker Days festival in Bright. Picture: Supplied.

BRIGHT SIDE

Celebrate all things beer, music, food and fire at Bright’s midwinter festival Darker Days from July 16-18. Mr Banks Brewing Co, Molly Rose Brewing, Alpine Cider, Backwoods Distilling and Reed and Co Distilling will be pouring drinks at the three-day event.

Weekend passes are sold out, but you can still attend the Darker Dinner on Friday, July 16 for $150 per person.