Julian Gerner has plans to buy Sorrento’s Continental Hotel

Julian Gerner has signed a heads of agreement to buy the major seaside pub and its freehold.

Gerner steps up to Continental

Victorian pub and restaurant entrepreneur Julian Gerner, who made a name at the Melbourne Pub Group before sea-changing to Sorrento a few years back, is on the cusp of a major deal to buy Sorrento’s Continental Hotel.

Gerner signed a heads of agreement last week to buy the major seaside pub and its freehold subject to planning permission to pursue rejuvenation plans that would involve a smart public bar, a restaurant and a functions space, not to mention accommodation of 40 rooms.
Gerner was involved with the rejuvenation of Melbourne pubs including Richmond’s Royal Saxon, St Kilda’s Newmarket and Prince of Wales, all with a strong food focus.

Gerner’s planning application emphasises the heritage hotel would be retained and “celebrated” and some recent additions and alterations would be demolished or reversed. The $22 million (estimated) plan would add a three-storey apartment building, a wellness centre and cafe, a yoga deck, lap pool and renovated hotel rooms.

Another week, another list … Elite Traveler, a magazine for, err, the elite traveller, dropped its Top 100 Restaurants 2016 list last week with Grant Achatz’s Alinea, in Chicago, at numero uno. Aussies did well, albeit a fairly predictable collection. Sepia came in at 99, Vue de Monde 67, Attica 70, Quay 77 and Tetsuya’s 97. The list is judged by the magazine’s readers.

The first of Elizabeth Quay’s new eateries has opened in Perth. EQ is the foreshore development that will eventually change the face of the city. Reveley is a substantial, modern iteration of the traditional pub with a bistro, bar, informal restaurant and rooftop events space. On the second level, its “posh casual” restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the Swan River is helmed by chef Ben Keal, formerly of CBD bistro-bar The Stables and a one-time chef at Melbourne’s European.

Sleepy midweek, gorged with tourists each weekend, spa country village Hepburn Springs is about to get not one but two new venues.

Chef Calliopi Buck, who some will remember for delicious, French-ish food at a place named Boire (now Ides, in Smith Street, Collingwood), has taken the lease at the defunct Moor Please.

Buck, who has been back in her home state of WA cooking at Bunbury’s Yours or Mine, will open Frank and Connie’s Kitchen around the middle of next month. She describes the plan — which is for five nights, three lunches initially — as “wanting to do simple food, market food, using the wood oven for meats and vegetables, maybe some breads”.

Her heritage is Greek. “Not too much fluff on the plate, I’m not one for flowers,” she says. “Some Greek, some French, some Italian.” The place is ready for an owner-operator.

Chef Chris Cheong has replaced Buck at Yours or Mine: he was Russell Blaikie’s protege at Must Wine Bar and went on to head up the brigade at Muster, Must’s steakhouse/wine bar in Margaret River. He’s been away from restaurants a while but his return is good news for WA’s southwest.

Meantime, down the road in Hepburn, one-time publican Simon Bevanda is on the cusp of turning a property he owns — hitherto known as Cosy Corner — into a wine bar named The Surly Goat. Bevanda was the man behind the bar at Carlton’s wonderful The Lincoln many years back and turned Daylesford’s Farmer’s Arms into an award winning gastropub. The Goat will be less a restaurant, more bar with tapas and snacks, but whatever food they do, you can safely assume it will be done well.

Nearby, they’ll be calling Kyneton’s town hall L’Hotel de Ville soon, the way things are going. The little town an hour from Melbourne with its embarrassment of foodie riches already has the authentique charcuterie and baguettes of Piper Street Food Co, the patisserie of Monsieur Pierre, and, up the road a little in Trentham, is the outstanding bistro Du Fermier. Now another Francophile — former Jacques Reymond chef Steve Rogers — is making his presence felt with his homage a France, Midnight Starling. Rogers has spent much of his career under Reymond (1999-01 and 2003-05), as well as brief stints in Paris and London at two-Michelin-starred Michael Rostang, Paris (2001-02), and three- Michelin-starred Pierre Gagnaire, Paris (2002). He set up Little Sparrow cafe in Kyneton before continuing the avian theme at Starling. Locals reckon the place has hit its straps; we agree.