Hail Fitzrovia
posted in: Alfresco, Café, Local, Restaurant on November 18, 2011
Fitzrovia:
155 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda VIC
(03) 9537 0001 or www.fitzrovia.com.au
Paul Jewson and Marco Pugnaloni have resurfaced with a brand new all-day eatery, after having wowed the crowds cramming into the all-too-small Outpost. For South Yarra locals, the tiny triangle tenancy (co-owned with Salvatore from St Ali) was the perfect introduction to Jewson’s cuisine, developed in the UK at hotspots like Terrence Conran’s Bluebird and SoHo House, and celebrated in the spate of events Paul designed for the Royal Family. Outpost was also Jewson and Pagnaloni’s introduction to the Melbourne market, its size affording them the prefect trial run before eventually and inevitably moving to a bigger venue. Fitzrovia has come to life in the shell of the Waldorf on St Kilda’s Fitzroy Street. Lately the strip, right across from Albert Park, has been experiencing a resurgence. Baker D Chirico has been a beacon for around a decade, but with Fitzrovia opening and Andrew McConnell’s Golden Fields a few doors down, the whole area is looking in prime health.
Guilty Pleasure
posted in: Bar, Function Space, Local, Restaurant on November 18, 2011
Bar100:
100 George Street, The Rocks VIC
(02) 8070 9311 or www.bar100.com.au
There are certain elements about Bar100 that feel a little left of centre. Staring deep through the eyes of a stain-glassed Jesus while sipping on something a little more substantial than communion wine could raise more guilt then even a Catholic could bear. The setting for Bar100′s functions hasn’t heavily deviated from the original Mariner’s chapel design. Why? Because it’s beautiful. The high gabled roof and pristine stained glass has been complemented with a supremely long onyx dry bar that reflects the luminescence of the mostly white room. Leather lounge chairs and banquettes take the place of hard wooden pews, and provide a darker, luxurious side to the chapel. There’s plenty more to Bar100, the precinct spans three levels, including the 8Brothers brasserie and woodfired pizza, with new architecture by Woods Bagot and interiors from SJB, making for a top stop at The Rocks.
POP-UPCYCLE
posted in: Backchat on August 4, 2011
Cafe Culture is running an Upcycling Competition at Saturday Indesign. Upcycling is the honourable process of converting waste or unwanted materials into new products. When trash becomes treasure. So if you can dream up anything better than a clock plate, send your design — can be a CAD drawing, or even just a hand illustration, to entries@cafeculture.com.au by 5pm Friday August 5th. You could win a Bose Beosound Docking Station or an iPad.
HALF MOON RISES
posted in: Alfresco, Local, Lounge, Pub, Restaurant on July 19, 2011
Half Moon:
120 Church Street, Brighton VIC
(03) 9591 0611 or www.halfmoon.com.au
Always considered somewhat of a sister venue to The Botanical while Paul Wilson was heading both ships, Brighton’s Half Moon pub is really quite distinct. In full view of the railway station, on a street lined with European cars, Half Moon is open, breezy and exactly the sort of sun-soaked, sophisticated pub you would expect for the seaside town. Colonial Leisure Group drafted Projects of Imagination to design the new pub, which features six drinking and dining spaces over two levels interconnected by a timber batten staircase and walkway that provides a vantage point over the entire venue. The courtyard features an air mist cooling system and landscape by Greg Palmer, the Molina room, named after the brothers who originally owned the pub, seats 20, and upstairs, the Henry Room is a cocktail style bar with DJ booth, open fireplace, and a terrace. Digital Living designed and installed the audio system, opting for a similar Martin audio and control system they created for the Botanical.
PIER GROUP
posted in: Alfresco, Bar, Café, Function Space, Local, Lounge, Restaurant on July 13, 2011
The Pier:
Cunningham Pier, Eastern Beach Rd, Geelong VIC
(03) 5222 6444 or www.thepiergeelong.com.au
Photos: Shannon McGrath
Endearing himself to Geelong locals is Cameron Ling’s stock and trade. With two AFL premierships under his belt, if it hasn’t earned the footballer keys to the city by now, it certainly has opened a few doors. The Geelong Football club skipper part owns The Edge Hotel, Newtown’s Gold Diggers Arms Hotel and now The Pier.
The Pier used to be called Smorgy’s, a smorgasbord diner on Cunningham pier that drew a crowd of schoolkids trying to eat their weight in roast beef and doughnuts, and families biding their time for the half-time animatronic dinner show comprising Salty the Seal and his jaunty choir of sea creatures. But Smorgy’s light faded, and now the sizeable venue has undergone a massive facelift.
SETTING THE PUBLIC BAR
posted in: Alfresco, Pub, Restaurant on July 12, 2011
Prahran Hotel:
82 High St, Prahran VIC
(03) 9529 2168 or www.prahranhotel.com
Photos: Shannon McGrath
Pubs come easily to the four guys that make up Sand Hill Road. Well, the business of running them that is. They know what makes a local pub, and don’t stray too far away from the basics of a parma and a pint. Their recent activity (renovating four pubs around Melbourne in a calendar year) would suggest it might all be coming a little too easily. But when every decision has to satisfy the gut and mind of the cornerstones of Sand Hill Road it ensures the vetting process for new purchases is a stringent one.
Volker Haug in Maker’s Studio
posted in: Film on June 8, 2011
BY YOUR CHINNY CHIN CHIN
posted in: Local, Restaurant on June 6, 2011
Chin Chin:
125 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC
www.chinchinrestaurant.com.au
I imagine Chris Lucas sitting cross-legged, chin-stroking Monkey-style, pondering how he was going to import the simple naivety of South East Asian eating houses and still have it fall within the Lucas lexicon. By the hair of his chinny chin chin, Lucas realised the only real way to do that is keep it cheap. And with a $5 starting price, it ain’t one-dollar noodle cheap, but it’s pretty good for one of Melbourne’s best restaurateurs. It’s a mixed bag of South East Asian fare, from Bangkok to Bangalore chef Andrew Gimber (ex Jimmy Liks) serves food all day from 11am to the wee hours, which everyone knows is the best time to consume Asian food — all day that is. There are DIY pork roll ups, and Asian soups for a Melbourne winter. And apparently Ben Cooper (ex St Ali, MoPho) has jumped on board too. Chin Chin is in the old Icon nightclub site, was designed by Projects of Imagination and is right in the middle of what is fast becoming Melbourne’s coolest dining precinct — up the top of Flinders Lane.
BISTRO GUILLAME CROWNED AGAIN
posted in: Casino, Local, Restaurant on June 2, 2011
Guillame Brahimi has relocated Bistro Guillame within Crown. A quick peek through the window reveals those lovely upside-down-chef-hats pendants have been relocated with it, and the whole thing is looking very Parisien and fresh. More to come soon.
ST ALI DESCENDS UPON UK
posted in: Café, Global, Restaurant on June 2, 2011
St Ali London:
27 Clerkenwell Road, London
The Melbourne-based roaster and café owned by impresario Salvatore Malatesta, is going worldwide. To ensure the quality coffee keeps flowing, St Ali has imported the UK’s first Slayer espresso machine, is importing and roasting its own beans and is developing a Barista Certification Programme to educate and test baristas eager to develop their skills. The 2,522 square foot venue will also be acquiring a late night license to cater for restaurant patrons and live events. Tim Cooke, an Aussie industrial designer based in the UK, designed the fitout as part of his company Long Black Ltd. And Paul Jewson, who was previously cooking up amazing dishes at Outpost has moved back to the UK to head up the kitchen, with input from St Ali’s head chef Ben Cooper. Tim Styles will be heading up operations, another Aussie ex-pat, who began his career at St Ali when it first opened, before working for Intelligentsia in the US and Square Mile coffee roasters in the UK before returning to the fold. Phew, it’s an ex-pat invasion. Next to come is the Sensory Lab, the experiment-al coffee lab that first opened at the entrance to Melbourne’s David Jones.
