Australian Gourmet Traveller - (04)April 2019 (1)

It’s the sort of venue that makes

you want to lean into the wine list, but

here, it seems like a little more time to

settle is needed. There are cocktails that

suit the setting, channelling the Spritz

and favouring Spanish and South

American booze like pisco and Sherry.

And there’s a decent all-Spanish list

of vermouth, enough tequila to satisfy

tequila fans, and some good, well-priced

wines – the super dry, elegant Aizpurua

Txakolina, for instance, will never make

you unhappy. But in a restaurant with

a name like this, you’d expect to see

less malbec, more cava, and you might

wonder why there are six tempranillos

in such a compact space.

There are occasional hiccups with the

food, too. Leek and béchamel croquetas

are surprisingly bland, and a snapper

ceviche is too wet, the fish suffering

under an onslaught of grapefruit,

watermelon, yoghurt and chilli.

Still there’s no faulting the foie gras

pintxo, a carnivore’s sweet symphony

of French foie wrapped in eye fillet,

skewered, char-grilled and dressed

with salt and honey. Yes, please.

Lamb rump is simply and effectively

presented, grilled and flavoured with a

zesty mix of sumac, lemon and coriander.

Flounder, meanwhile, smoky

from the grill, is served whole in

crowd-pleasing style, and arrives with

fried butter beans and a paste-like

sauce of anchovies, onions, white

wine and burnt butter.

There’s a good whole eggplant, too,

smoked to the point of soft surrender

and accompanied by decent baba

ghanoush and a well-judged, acidic

à la Grecque dressing.

The best thing Sebastian does is

show you a good time. Personable

young staff, brilliant water views, pretty

architecture and a menu that has your

best interests at heart all come together

to prove the “sum of its parts” rule.

For those in the east, now’s a good

time to go west.●

Details

Sebastian

26 Esplanade,

Williamstown,

(03) 9088 8989,

sebastianbeachgrill.com

Licensed

CardsAE MC V EFT

OpenMon-Fri noon-late,

Sat-Sun 9am-late

PricesPintxos $3.50-

$7.50, entrées $15-$22,

main courses $28-$38,

desserts $12-$15

VegetarianThree

pintxos, one entrée,

one main course

NoiseLively

Wheelchair accessYe s

MinusAn occasional

dish lets the team down

PlusLocation,

location, location

Basque mussels

with aïoli

and lemon.

GOURMET TRAVELLER 41

Melbourne review

PHOTOGRAPHY RHIANNON TAYLOR.