Australian Gourmet Traveller - (01)January 2020 (1)

OldPalm

Liquor

133 LygonSt,

BrunswickEast,

(03) 9380 2132,

oldpalmliquor.com

OpenTue-Sun

noon-midnight

PricesSnacks

$5-$10,entrées

$16-$18,main

courses$24-$32,

desserts$12

VegetarianThree

snacks,two

entrées,one

maincourse

NoisePresent

butmanageable

Wheelchair

accessYe s

MinusEnemies

ofnaturalwines

won’tbehappy

PlusA localworth

crossing town for

AND ALSO...

Details

TOTHEMOONANDBACK

TheteambehindMoonDogBrewery

inAbbotsford,renownedfortheir

unorthodoxapproachtobeer,has

doubleddownonthatreputation

withtheirnewopening.Located

ina hugeformerfactory,Moon

DogWorldis a beerthemepark,

completewitha lagoon,hidden

tikibar,pinballroomand 78 taps

dispensingbeer,cocktails(above)

andwine.There’sfoodtoo,ofthe

burgerandfried-chickenvariety.

Surprisinglyit allholdstogether,

deliveringsolid,beerygoodtimes.

32-46ChifleyDr,Preston,(03) 9428

2307,moondogbrewing.com.au

LIGHTMYFIRE

ScottPickett’snewventure,

Pastore, atSofitel’snewHotel

Chadstone,hasanAustralian-Italian

accentwithsomewoodsmoke

thrownincourtesyoftheopen

kitchen’swoodfiredgrill.It’sa sleek

space,allbrass,timber,leatherand

marble,witha menubyex-Thirty

EightChairschefMircoSperifullof

expertlygrilledproteinandPickett’s

signatureuseofAussieingredients.

1341 DandenongRd,Chadstone,(03)

9108 3350,pastorerestaurant.com.au

THUMBSUP

FormerCBDItalianfaveSartihas

beengivena facelift,emergingas

Marameo. Inkeepingwiththename

(marameois the“thumbingyour

nose”handgesture),it stickswiththe

Italianthemebutin a morerelaxed

style.There’sa goodrangeofsalumi,

cheeses,pastasandmoderndishes

likesavourycannolifilledwithwagyu

tartare.Therooftophasalsobeen

sprucedup,andremainsoneofthe

city’sbest.6 RussellPl,Melbourne,

(03) 9639 7822, marameo.com.au

ceilingfans,exposedroofjoists
framingrattanpanellingandbar
joinerydisplayinga goodselection

ofOldPalm’simpressivewine
collectionbehindglass.Outthe
back,themood’slargerandlighter,
withpaintedbrickwalls,concrete
andterrazzofloorsandhanging
ferns.There’sa fireplacetoo,soit
hasitsownperfectlyfinecharacter
but,if you’repicky,askfora table
inthefrontroomwhenyoubook.
Co-ownerSimonDenmanis

responsibleforthedécor,andhe
alsolooksafterthewinelist: a
strongcollectionofnaturaland
minimalistwinesthatconcentrates
onoutputfromAustralian,French
andItalianproducers.There’s
someclassicallymadestufftoo,
butit tendstobeina higherprice
bracketsoif you’reona budget
andnota fanofnatural,youmight
needtoconsideryouroptions.

There’sanextensiveoffering
bytheglassthatincludesa bit
ofeverything:organicgamay
andsyrahfromFrance,savagnin
fromtheAdelaideHillsand
non-filteredproseccofromItaly.
Atthebeginningofthebottle
listthere’sa pagecalled“Everyday
Wine”thatlistsreasonablypriced
options–suchasa delicious

texturedskin-contactwhite
blendcalledDoppelgängerfrom
BraveNewWineinWestern
Australia–thatprovidea short
cutforthosemoreinterestedin
chatting than reading the whole

list.Wineserviceis excellentso

don’tbeafraidtoaskforhelp.

There’smorethana whiff

ofwinebaraboutOldPalmand

that’semphasisedbytheexcellent

snacksthatleadthefoodmenu.

There’sa biltong-spicedbeef

tartareservedona buckwheat

crackerandtoppedwithan

anchovy,plusa crunchylittle

gemthatconsistsofa tempura

friedshallotservedwithsherry

vinegar-spikedcashewcream

andincrediblygoodhouse-made

jalapeño pickles.

Goodsweetstuff,likea dense,

moistpistachiocakeservedwith

honeyyoghurt,grilledrhubarb

andtheslightlyaniseedysweet

cicelyexpandsOldPalm’slocal

credentialsbymakingit a decent

placefora nightcap,too.

OldPalmLiquoris very

muchofitsBrunswickEast

location.Butit’ssocharming,

low-keyandskilledatwhatit

does,you’dbehappytostumble

upon it wherever it landed.●

Biltong-spicedbeef

tartare.Below:St

Bernard’scider-

brined pork chop.

GOURMET TRAVELLER 31

Melbourne review