Geelong’s popular riverside events space Barwon Edge Boathouse has reopened with new owners and a fresh look, the previous owners having called time in May after almost 18 years.

The team behind Geelong’s contemporary South American restaurant Alma and modern French bistro Felix have reopened the picturesque venue as Barwon Edge, and began serving a new menu this week.

“It’s an amazing location,” says co-owner Jesse Hughes of the secluded site not far from the water’s edge. “We saw the opportunity to be the caretakers of this special site and thought it would fit within the group perfectly.”

They’ve steered the menu towards the Middle East, serving generous share plates of slow-cooked lamb shoulder with braised chickpea and dates, smoked eggplant with chilli, garlic and labne, and fermented potato flatbread.

Pleysier Perkins, the design firm responsible for Felix, has refreshed the interior, which now has a 150-seat restaurant and a 40-seat private dining room. Weddings and events will still be part of the business and the group aims to open a family-friendly cafe on the site by summer.

• Open Thu-Mon 5.30pm-9pm, Sat-Sun noon-3pm at 40-70 Windsor Road, Newtown, 0499 515 050, barwonedge.com.au

Two Noble, a slick new South-East Asian restaurant, is the final piece of the puzzle at the reinvigorated Sawyers Arms Tavern, in Geelong’s Newtown.

The Upham family, which ran the Lorne Hotel before selling to Merivale and was responsible for bringing the Coda and MoVida pop-ups to the Great Ocean Road pub, have applied their hotel know-how to the Sawyers Arms.

A team of MoVida and Coda alumni have hitched a ride to Geelong. Chef Jackson Hunt (ex-MoVida) has invigorated the pub menu downstairs while upstairs, Adam Zelley, the former manager of MoVida Lorne, and chef Mario Tambajong (ex MoVida, Coda) are leading the charge at Two Noble.

House-roasted duck with Cointreau hoisin promises to be a signature. It joins grilled prawn betel leaves, Barongarook pork with som tum and salt-and-pepper Moreton Bay bugs. Together with a far-reaching wine list, there are on-theme cocktails such as El Bon, combining coconut tequila, spiced vanilla liqueur and lime juice.

The contemporary fitout features light timber bentwood chairs, soothing sea-green walls and massed rice-paper lanterns overhead.

• Open for dinner Thu-Mon, lunch Fri-Sun at the Sawyers Arms Tavern level 1, 2 Noble Street, Newtown, 0418 111 165, twonoble.com.au

Master of meat Adrian Richardson (La Luna Bistro, Bouvier) has opened Maestro restaurant in Geelong’s new Holiday Inn hotel complex. A menu featuring handmade smallgoods, steak tartare and venison sausage from local outfit Dama Dama play to Richardson’s strengths, but there’s more on offer.

He’s sourcing ingredients from the surrounding region in dishes such as Portarlington mussels steamed with chilli and tomato, and Moorabool Valley duck breast with jus gras and parsnip. House-made pasta might be prawn linguine, there are six steaks, and there’s a bar menu of small bites and cheese.

Executive chef Migo Razon (who previously headed the kitchen at Melbourne’s Sheraton) has worked with Richardson on the offer.

“I hope [guests] leave here thinking, ‘We need to come back and bring our friends’. That’s what I aim for,” says Richardson.

The restaurant, located in the city’s cultural and arts precinct, boasts floor-to-ceiling windows with Corio Bay views and a contemporary fit-out in muted tones. The drinks list includes local, Australian and international vintages and beers.

• Open Sun-Thu noon-2.30pm & 5pm-9pm, Fri-Sat noon-2.30pm & 5pm-10pm at level 1, 40 Ryrie Street, Geelong, 03 4225 6100, maestrogeelong.com.au