Fitzroy North favourite The Recreation Bistro and Bottleshop has undergone a swanky renovation to match the venue’s confident bistronomy cooking, while retaining the venue’s neighbourhood appeal.

After seven years of trading, owners Joe Durrant, Mark Protheroe and Steven Nelson (who also own the Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis) have seized the opportunity to dial up the former corner pub’s comfort, along with adding an approachable bar area with a new snack menu tailored to walk-ins.

“We want to show locals who use our outdoor space for drinks and snacks in the summer that there’s now an indoor area where you can do that all year around,” Durrant says.

The team has liberated space previously occupied by a long bench in The Recreation’s wine shop, adding five low tables and a moodily lit bar.

A casual snack stop in the new bar might involve barbecued king prawns with kombu butter, crunchy pigs’ ears with aioli, and mushroom and parmesan croquettes.

In the main dining room, new waiter stations, pools of light over tables, a restored fireplace and custom upholstered oak seats and banquettes from Blackburn furniture designer Hugh McCarthy have created a more spacious and lush effect, while acoustic panelling has resolved longstanding noise issues caused by the room’s timber and exposed brick construction.

A reeded glass screen partially covers the open kitchen, providing some separation between diner and chef while maintaining a prime view of the action, and a small private dining room with seating for up to eight guests has also been added.

A new trolley loaded with bottles of rum and handmade chocolates from Camberwell patisserie Sucre du Jour can be rolled out to guests wanting to go the extra mile.

The changes were spurred by a sense of maturity in The Recreation’s take on classical French cuisine, which maitre d’ Durrant says has been elevated “four or five notches” in the past 18 months.

Signature dishes include chicken with grilled leeks, ramen jus and freekeh, and a pea and champagne soup known as creme ninon served with spanner crab and croutons.

“Physically changing how the restaurant feels is a great way to re-show the food,” says Durrant. “The best thing is seeing that it does work to look after people in this way.”

Open Mon-Tue 5pm-11pm, Wed-Sat noon-11pm, Sun 1pm-9pm

162-170 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North, the-recreation.com