The best places to eat and drink in Melbourne and Victoria this weekend
From Friday night drinks at a resurrected icon to Saturday afternoon sips of artisan spirits and a long lunch at a reborn St Kilda fave, here are Dan Stock’s top picks of where to eat and drink around town this weekend.
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From Friday night drinks at a resurrected icon to Saturday afternoon sips of artisan spirits and a long lunch at a reborn St Kilda fave, here are Dan Stock’s top picks of where to eat and drink around town this weekend.
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FOR FRIDAY NIGHT DRINKS
Chef Matt Wilkinson’s late-lamented East Brunswick cafe Pope Joan is back — if only for a couple of months.
Taking over the Sofitel forecourt space that was until Christmas late-night supper club The Mayfair, fans of Matt’s legendary sandwiches have until April 18 to get their hands on all the hits: the hefty reuben piled high with Warialda beef; the famous chicken-and-stuffing Cornish, and the club that channels Aussie salad sangas down by the beach.
There are eggs and soldiers to start the day, the legendary chicken kiev at the end of it — and good coffee and fine frothies all the way through it.
Open until 9pm on Fridays, Pope Joan is the perfectly civilised — and properly delicious — way to see off the working week and say hello to the weekend. Begin as you mean to finish with Mr Wilkinson’s dirty martini and the weekend is truly your (freshly shucked) oyster.
45 Collins St, Melbourne. popejoancity.com
FOR A LONG LUNCH WITH FRIENDS
It’s goodbye fine dining, hello fun dining down at St Kilda’s Prince Hotel.
Stepping out from its high-end, pinky-up shadow — this is the space, as Circa, that cemented some of Melbourne’s most celebrated chefs — the new Prince Dining Room is a casual and comfortable offering that forms stage two of the hotel’s redevelopment under owners Gerry Ryan and son Andrew
With a gastropub in the old public bar and cantina space still to come, the restaurant space has doubled in size.
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A large feature bar greets upon arrival, and the old private dining room has been opened up to now put the kitchen on show at the back, with banquette seating snaking through the centre of the Art Deco main room.
Two Dans in the kitchen (exec chef Dan Hawkins and day-to-day head Dan Cooper) talk all the trends — sustainable, low-waste, seasonal, traceable happy produce — but they back it up with a well-priced menu that is properly shareable strongly weighted to the plant kingdom.
Seriously good flatbreads are made for sharing: there are three on offer but don’t miss the fiocco (a prosciutto-like salumi) that’s teamed with dots of fresh mozzarella and purple and green basil on a chewy and charry base with an airy, bubbly crust. It’s a knockout.
A lamb tagine, generous with meat and sticky with plump prunes, is served with smoked yoghurt, minty, grain-driven tabouli, and puffy, nigella seed-topped pita easily feeds two so you won’t need to add any veg to the side, though you’ll want to.
A fabulously sunny plate of nectarines grilled to bring out their sweetness is served with peppery mustard leaf, juicy sharp radish and manchego, the slightly nutty Spanish cheese, for a plate of summer loving.
Equally vibrant, a rainbow of roasted beetroots is teamed with segments of pink-tinged orange with aniseed adding a cool breeze, while a powerful prawn butter is the alluring if divisive seasoning to a charred red cabbage quarter, served under a handful of spiced nuts.
Leave at least some space for sweets. An individual baked cheesecake topped with roasted peaches and ginger snap crumb is a deft delight; mango many ways — charred, fresh, ice cream — with sugared pistachio and bursts of finger lime is a multi-textured seasonal stunner.
Perfect for a long, lazy lunch, the new-look Prince is yet great reason to pay St Kilda a visit this weekend.
2 Acland St, St Kilda. theprince.com.au
FOR FUN IN THE SUN
The forecast is for a cracking weekend which means we can get at least one more swim in this summer.
And once you’re done with the back beach wilds, join the rest of the peninsula for a pint at the reborn Portsea Pub.
The historic Tudor-clad facade remains, but beyond that, a $7 million refurb has breathed new life into the old boozer, with the expansive deck the best place to drink in some extraordinary views and cold brews.
Along with the large dining room with its sweeping, soaring bay views, front bar with extensive seating, accommodation ranging from standard pub rooms through two-bedroom suite, new additions include the Bertrand Bar (named after sailing legend John Bertrand), Cliff’s Bar (a burger bar) and the RIP whisky and cocktail bar.
Paul Tyas — most recently of St Kilda’s Grosvenor Hotel — is in the kitchen and turning out a big menu of easy pleasing hits — pizza, fish and chips, burger and parma — that are joined by a selection of a salads and beer-friendly snacks that include terrific spicy fried chicken ribs with punchy chipotle mayo.
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Pizzas are good, with nicely charred, chewy bases — the calabrese full of chilli-heat and salami heft is particularly noteworthy.
Bigger plates include enjoyable linguine tossed through a generous amount of crabmeat.
From the grill, along with a good line in steaks, a large Greenvale free range pork chop served with sweet apple puree and fennel slaw is a classic with class.
With music out on the deck, a fab new look and the fresh take on pub classics, the Portsea remains the peninsula’s favourite pub. Have some fun in the sun.
3746 Point Nepean Road, Portsea. portseahotel.com.au
FOR ARTISAN SIPS
Join some of Victoria’s finest artisan booze makers on Saturday for an afternoon of spirited discussion.
The Spirit Fair is a tasting showcase of local spirits and features eight of our best and brightest, including Kilderkin gin from Ballarat, Animus from Kyneton, Melbourne Moonshine and Starward Whisky, with all makers on hand to chat over a dram.
Snacks from the Cumulus Up kitchen and a welcome cocktail set the Saturday afternoon scene with class.
From noon-4pm at Cumulus Up (Flinders Lane, city). Tickets $45 and include snacks, cocktail and all tastings.
Level 1, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. cumulusup.com.au
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