Portarlington Grand Hotel glowing after multimillion-dollar rescue and renovation
It was a much loved, but neglected Portarlington landmark. Now the Grand Hotel’s multimillion-dollar renovation is complete and the venue is wowing visitors.
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It’s hard to see how anyone could do anything other than go all in when the word “grand” features in your name.
And when the venue in question has been a towering local landmark for more than 130 years, expectations are high.
Thankfully, the new life that has been breathed back into the Portarlington Grand Hotel ticks every box.
The grand dame of Newcombe St has assumed her rightful place at the top of the pecking order and again has tourists and locals flocking through the doors.
“It’s a stunning, beautiful old building that had been let go quite badly,” venue manager Mark Henderson says.
“The problem is as each owner took over from the past, it’s gradually got worse and nobody was pouring any money into it.”
That’s not been an issue for the current owners. The 1888 Grand Hotel was bought in 2019 by Paul Little and his Little Group, which also runs the ferry service between Portarlington, Geelong and Melbourne.
The group set about injecting millions into ensuring the hotel again lived up to its name. And there’s certainly no lack of grandeur now.
Although the beer garden, lawn area and the stunning new roofed atrium opened in December, the bistro was only reopened for business last month after the magnificent new kitchen had come online.
The final piece of the puzzle comes next month when the Grand is again open for accommodation.
Structurally, nothing in the building has changed but the extensive transformation overseen by Melbourne-based architects Technē has added a level of luxury not normally associated with the fishing village.
What used to be the bottle shop that became “a very average makeshift” beer garden has been levelled and transformed into the Atrium. The tiny TAB outlet is gone and in its place is a foyer for the 18 rooms of accommodation spread over two floors above.
The best of these suites has breathtaking views over the parkland across the other side of Newcombe St down to the pier and out over Corio Bay to the You Yangs in the distance.
There are all the creature comforts you’d expect of an up-market hotel, such as the curvaceously classy Zuster furniture. But all the mod cons have not come at the expense of tradition.
The open fireplaces on street level have been retained and while there are certainly some funky design elements like the Giffin Design light fittings, there are also original stained-glass door panels.
Old black-and-white photos everywhere chart the changing streetscape of Portarlington and one end of the bistro is dominated by a massive reproduction of an advert from the Grand Hotel’s golden age.
The Little Group’s outlay has extended to installing an elevator to service all floors of the hotel. But even when staff were just using the pizza kitchen in the Atrium over summer to cater for diners, marketing co-ordinator Connie Trathen said it was still booked out almost every day.
“It was so encouraging because we knew we were doing something right and it was worth the investment,” Connie says.
Mark was out the front of the hotel over summer, personally greeting diners and knocking back customers when dining was fully booked.
Part of his role was through necessity, as he checked QR codes, but it also helped to give personality to the latest version of this Newcombe St landmark.
Connie makes the point that the Grand is “still very approachable for the locals”. It is still inviting enough that people won’t think twice about perching themselves in the front bar and sipping on an espresso martini before noon and not so high brow that pub staples have been taken off the menu.
But there are also what Mark likes to call “wow dishes” that chef Richard Hall has introduced. Currently they include slow roasted pork knuckle, mashed potato and French-style braised peas; and The Grand Couple — a towering combination of vanilla ice cream, meringue, whipped cream, flaked almonds and chocolate sauce that is literally a head turner when it is carried through the bistro.
For first-time diners wanting to really experience what the Grand Hotel menu is delivering now, Mark has two suggestions: the pork knuckle or, if you want to go old-school, the lamb’s fry (pan fried lamb liver served with maple bacon, mashed potato, braised peas and caramelised onion gravy).
Entrees have been “fancied up” with dishes like prawn and ginger dumplings, chicken satay skewers, panzanella salad, and a chicken liver and cognac parfait with red onion and merlot marmalade that is decadent and generous.
There are also vegetarian or vegan main course options throughout the menu, including pumpkin gnocchi and a vegie burger.
And local drops thankfully feature prominently throughout the wine list.
“One of the things we said was we didn’t want to make it pretentious,” Mark says of the menu.
“Both Franc (fellow venue manager Franco Biasuzzo) and I were chefs previously and there’s nothing worse than walking into a place where you feel intimidated by the menu. You can’t be all things to all people but we appeal to a broad base.
“You can come and get your steak and your burger and your parma, but then we have dishes like the pork knuckle.
“This’ll be a fun place to come and eat because you can come on a day when you just feel like your parma, or ‘I want to come out with the family and do something special’.
“You go to the Mornington Peninsula to experience the Mornington Peninsula, you do the same at the Yarra Valley. The Bellarine is the hidden gem of Melbourne people still don’t know enough about it. We see this as a celebration of what’s down here.”
The Portarlington Grand Hotel is at 76 Newcombe St, Portarlington. Bookings at portarlingtongrandhotel.com.au
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