STOKEHOUSE
CUISINE
Contemporary
CHEFS
Richard Ousby and Ollie Hansford
VISIT
30 Jacka Boulevard,
St Kilda, Vic
OPENING HOURS
Lunch daily from 12pm;
dinner daily from 6pm
BOOKINGS
(03) 9525 5555
stokehouse.com.au
PRICE
$$$$$
BYO
No
OTHER FEATURES
Bar (Pontoon), outdoor seating
CHILD FRIENDLY
YesFIRE IS ONE OF THE most
powerful of natural forces.
Its warming embrace is
what ignited our ability to
cook food and change not
only our diets, but also our capacity to
think, create and evolve. Correspondingly,
it is a fierce and destructive force.
When Melbourne’s adored Stokehouse
burnt down, there was a genuine sense
that the city had lost a member of the
family. Its rebuild felt like a matter of state
pride as much as anything else. However,
it has emerged from the ashes as a very
different proposition to the reliable local
patronised by well-heeled St Kilda diners.
I’ll concede it’s harder to be critical when
nature is wooing you with a hazy horizon
and ripples of deep blue that gently kiss
the shoreline. The new black box on the
beach stands out in the landscape, but
on the inside Pascale Gomes-McNabb’s
(Bentley, Monopole, Cirrus) summery,
beach-house palette of pastels, light-grey
drapery and blond wooden floorboards
and walls suits the locale well.
The contemporary and seafood-heavy
menu by executive chef Richard Ousby
and head chef Ollie Hansford feels like
it’s trying to strike a balance between
path-carving and familiar, and as such
some dishes seem pushed a tad further
than they need to be.
Take the beef tartare. Creamy cubes of
beef tossed with toasted grains and onionline up along one side of the plate,
begging for something to bind it all
together. But rather than a golden egg
yolk, there’s a mound of black garlic puree
that’s so pungent there’s enough on the
plate for everyone in the room. We ask
if anyone mixes it through; our waiter
explains that most people don’t touch it.
So either no one is telling the chef, or
the kitchen is stubbornly clasping onto an
idea rather than listening to the audience.
Oddly, the extremity of the tartare dish
would have been more at home with our
smoked eel pâté. Again, it’s well-executed
and texturally pleasing, but huge chunks of
creme fraiche temper the real eel oomph.
Ribbons of beetroot arrive arranged
like a flower, with shaved macadamia
atop, and a fillet of Cone Bay barramundi
is spot on. It’s seared on the skin with
the autumnal, mushroomy flesh still
shimmering, underpinned by almond
puree and a bright, sweet carrot reduction.
Although deconstructed desserts are
a bit passe, the dried lime cheesecake
takes advantage of the last of the season’s
fresh mangoes for a satisfying finale.
The new Stokehouse has been busy since
day dot, and with this setting it’s hardly
surprising. A solid, accessible wine list,
dedicated bar and balcony, and staff who
happily swoop when needed all enhance
the ideal. But with a few tiny tweaks and
perhaps a bit more restraint on the menu,
it could truly set passions afire.It’s risen from the ashes, but Anthony Huckstep wonders if this
Melbourne institution needs more time to fire on all cylinders.Melbourne institution needs more time to fire on all cylinders.delicious.com.au/eat-out
For more of our critic’s dining picks.@huckstergram @anthuckstepSTOKE IT UP
CLOCKWISE (from left):
seared tuna, wasabi seared tuna, wasabi
syllabub and pickled syllabub and pickled
radish; the coastal chic radish; the coastal chic
decor; king prawn taco decor; king prawn taco
with avocado and kale.with avocado and kale.STOKEHOUSE PHOTOGRAPHYEMILY WEAVING & KRISTOFFER PAULSENREVIEW.
44 delicious.com.au