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People, we have a chip problem. The hand-cut, double-cooked fries at Bobbie Peels are so good I may need to tussle with my dining companions for the extra-crunchy morsels at the bottom of the bowl. These golden chunks of fluffy, creamy Nicola spud are just one example of food punching above its weight here.

Other surprises include a vegan, gluten-free Sunday roast that actually tastes delicious (herby and nutty with silky veg gravy), a tomato tart that has sunshine-sweet heirloom fruit lolling on buttery pastry, and zucchini mafaldine (think frilly fettuccine) with a lacy parmesan crisp perched atop like a bonnet.

When you learn chef David Watson led the kitchen at the Grossi family’s busy city Grill, the attention to detail makes sense. The lamb roast’s gravy shows a deft touch. The bread is house-baked sourdough. The cinnamon-spiced Granny Smith crumble shows a facility for layering flavour.

It’s pub grub meets bistro creativity underpinned by restaurant technique. Simple dishes have surprising depth and there’s no chicken parma in sight.

Owners Phil Gijsbers and Neil Mills first threw around the idea of owning a pub when they were high-schoolers. They kept the dream alive at uni, percolating plans over Coopers Red longnecks. Together and separately, they’ve since run cafes, pizza shops, wine bars, a craft brewery, a distillery and a coffee roastery.

Two years ago, they brought the pub fantasy to fruition at Bobbie Peels, a classic 1860s two-storey boozer, christened Sir Robert Peel Hotel after the two-time British prime minister.

One of the best things about Melbourne pubs is the way they stay the same but keep changing, responding to the community’s shifting needs.

This incarnation of Bobbie Peels is a careful and intentional example of the contemporary public house. There’s a happy hour but also a Run Club (owner Gijsbers recently ran an ultra-marathon) and the kitchen speaks Dietary. There’s a beer garden and a pavement parklet, both pooch-friendly.

Flexible function areas are upstairs but the main bar downstairs has one of the most romantic dining nooks in town.

You’d expect a superlative selection of indie beer but the approach to wine is even more special. Local winemakers offer tastings and insights on Wednesdays, and the list is dotted with hard-to-find bottles.

Pubs are for the people and it’s obvious the folks running this one see themselves as custodians of a tradition they revere and feel confident to refresh.