HOT: Bridge Road Brewers, Old Coach House Brewers Lane, 50 Ford St, Beechworth

Bridge Road Brewers, Old Coach House Brewers Lane, 50 Ford St, Beechworth

When in Beechworth, drink beer.

Bridge Road Brewers is one of Australia’s most popular craft beer producers and is one of the foodie destinations to visit in Beechworth thanks to their brewery operations in a 150 year old coach house, the kitchen’s famous pizzas and a convivial beer garden which is particularly family-friendly.

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I was invited to visit Bridge Road Brewers by Tourism North East and we rolled into Beechworth just after lunch opening on a weekday. Being unseasonably warm already the beer garden was starting to fill up so if you’re coming with a large group or want to be assured of a spot during a busy period then book ahead.

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For colder climes the beer hall is spacious and filled with beer-making paraphernalia, decor and furniture as well as a cosy wood fire.

The Bridge Road Brewers kitchen makes pretzels and pizzas influenced by brewery co-owner Maria Frischmann, who grew up in the Tyrolean Alps. The kitchen bakes pretzels daily and they come plain ($3) or with a choice of cheese sauce or chocolate sauce ($4.50).

Bridge Road Brewers, Old Coach House Brewers Lane, 50 Ford St, Beechworth

These crusty, salt-speckled twists are the perfect beer snack – thirst-inducing and easy to hold. Perhaps only a busty girl and a stein are missing for the true Tyrolean experience (and the brewery does host Oktoberfest celebrations in mid-October every year).

The kitchen is most famous for its extensive range of pizzas though you can order other beer-friendly plates such as nachos, ribs and pie or a lighter soup or salad.

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Bridge Road Brewer’s pizza bases are made in house using their Bavarian Wheat Ale and it creates a crispy, bubbly base for a range of toppings. We tried the classic margherita punctuated with big dollops of Shaw River Buffalo Mozzarella and fragrant basil leaves ($17.50) and for contrast, a non-traditional “Morrison Street Butchers” Sausage Pizza with bocconcini, caramelised onions, tomato, sausage and mustard sauce ($19).

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Both pizzas were bursting with hearty flavours and very filling – I think one large pizza between two would be sufficient. My only criticism is that I thought there could have been less topping so as to retain the crispiness of the base and to prevent ingredients frequently slipping off into a messy puddle (onto my lap, invariably). But in general Australian pizza eaters tend to prefer more toppings, not less, so I can understand the slightly overladen approach.

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To match your food you can try a pint of any of their craft beers or go with a beer flight of up to ten tastings that arrives on its own special board.

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Bridge Road Brewers, Old Coach House Brewers Lane, 50 Ford St, Beechworth

You can also conduct your own tasting by taking home a mixed six-pack ($19.50) and for his taste RM’s pick of the beers was the Beechworth Pale Ale. He was particularly impressed that each bottle showed the ‘malt profile’ and ‘hops profile’ so you can judge the flavours for yourself.

Bridge Road Brewers, Old Coach House Brewers Lane, 50 Ford St, Beechworth

Finally, if you’re exploring Beechworth Bridge Road Brewers is a convenient starting point because they have free town bikes for hire. The “Town Bike” is a collaboration between Bridge Road Brewers, Larder Fromagerie and Provisions and Pennyweight winery and Beechworth’s wide quiet bike-friendly streets and access to Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail give visitors another way to explore the town and its surrounds. The town is currently holding events as part of North East Victoria’s inaugural Cycle Salute cycling festival (18 October – 5 November 2013).

And if you’re going further afield, Bridge Road Brewers is one of the stops along the High Country Brewery Trail where you can cycle parts of the scenic 100km Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail and visit craft breweries in Glenrowan, Beechworth, Bright and Mount Beauty for a recovery drink.

Bridge Road Brewers, Old Coach House Brewers Lane, 50 Ford St, Beechworth +

Kitchen opens lunch 7 Days a week, 12 – 3pm and Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from 6pm. 

Bridge Road Brewers on Urbanspoon

HOT: Round the Way Bagel Burgers Food Truck, Mr Wow’s Emporium, 97B Smith St, Fitzroy

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One of my favourite local bars is the fun-filled Mr Wow’s Emporium. There aren’t many inner city bars which also feature an airport strip light-style indoor bocce corridor!

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I also love the ping pong table, large curved bar festooned with dangling phallic looking naked bulbs against the backdrop of a huge Melways mural (in case you get lost, y’know) and the covered balcony overlooking Smith Street if you don’t fancy being sportive.

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Mr Wow’s Emporium is also unique because it has a rear-access astro-turfed garage which can host a round robin of food trucks because technically it’s ‘private property’ (sister Cuban bar Los Barbudos shares the food truck space).

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Their latest resident was Round the Way, a sleek food truck serving bagel burgers using interesting ingredients and house-baked bagels of the bready rather than chewy boiled variety.

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The menu varies from time to time and on my visit there were three burgers on offer – a vegetarian option, one bagel burger and one deli-style bagel.

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We tried the ‘Czech 1-2’, a high tower cevapi beef burger, crispy iceberg lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion with tomato chutney and mayo. A reasonably standard burger combination lifted beyond the norm by the run-down-the-chin juiciness of the patty.

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We both also enjoyed the ‘Baus Hawg’, a seasoned pulled pork with a smattering of caramelised onions, a deep Texas style BBQ sauce and cheese. I would have liked a little more layers of flavour and texture in the burger – maybe some chilli or fresh greens.

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For those with smaller appetites or daintier fingers try the mini bagel bruschetta toasted with garlicky oil and topped with tomato, Meredith goats cheese and fresh basil, proscuitto, peppers and a slice of King Island blue cheese and my favourite, a slice of eye fillet bresaola with a sprinkle of green olive tapenade and semi-dried tomato ($12).

You can keep an eye on where Round the Way parks their van by following them on and .

Round the Way Bagel Burgers Food Truck, Mr Wow’s Emporium,


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The Barons Palate – Giveaway!

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I love a good pop up! Especially when the experience combines food and drinks with cutting edge art and design.

The Baron Said is a warehouse event space in Fitzroy which derives its name from a historical character created by Sir Martin Lang, a scholar and nobleman who produced literary works in the 18th century. In keeping with the character of the Baron, an anonymous nobleman famous for his extravagant parties, for just four days next week The Baron Said will host chefs, mixologists, designers and artists who will combine their talents to create four unique experiences.

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Here’s what in store for ‘The Barons Palate’:

Thursday 18 July 7pm – 11pm Art Exhibition Launch
For $29 admire the work of designers and artists who exhibit in some of Australia’s top commercial galleries, receive two West Wind Gin cocktails and matching art inspired food items.

Friday 19 July 7pm – 11pm Dessert Palate by Anthony Hart (The Press Club Group)
$55 for cocktails and floating tables of finger food desserts including lollipops, popcorn macaroons and marshmallows.

Saturday 20 July 7pm – 11pm Restaurant Theatre by Andreas Papadakis (Comida Bebe)
$55 per head. Andreas will be creating food reflective of the art being shown on the night and cocktails complementing the food will also be served.

Sunday 21 July 3pm- 7pm High Tea by Matt Forbes
$55 a head to indulge in pastries by Matt Forbes and a glass of sparkling wine.

Tickets for all of the experiences are available now online and on the door.

The Baron Palate, 18-21 July, 83 Kerr St, Fitzroy

Giveaway! Thanks to The Baron Said I have a double pass to each of the experiences to give away.

To win all you have to do is 1. or (if you don’t already) 2. leave a comment saying which event you’d like to attend – Launch, Dessert, Theatre or High Tea. The winners will be drawn on Wednesday 17 July and tickets will be left at the door on the relevant night. Good luck!

And the winners are #13 Catrina (High Tea), #18 Alissa (Restaurant Theatre), #31 (Launch) and #29 (Dessert). An email/DM has been sent to you!

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HOT: Los Barbudos, 95 Smith St, Fitzroy

Los Barbudos, 95 Smith St, Fitzroy

With the American/Southern/Mexican thang that the Melbourne food scene has going on at the moment, I guess it was only a matter of time before we hit the shores of Cuba.

Los Barbudos is a new Cuban cocktail bar from the Thank You, Come Again group that brought you Lily Blacks, Mr Wow’s Emporium, Double Happiness and New Gold Mountain (all bars I know and love). I was invited to their launch ahead of their public opening this Friday night and I predict that Los Barbudos will be the place to be on Smith Street tomorrow night with the prospect of $8 Mojitos and Cuba Libres from 5pm to 9pm.

Los Barbudos, 95 Smith St, Fitzroy

The name ‘Los Barbudos’ refers to the bearded rebel forces of the Cuban Revolution and the baseball team founded by Fidel Castro. Hence the bar has a beardy Cuban/semi-religious/baseball/food truck theme, if you can believe it. At the moment the only way to spot it is by a solid blue door – apparently the neon sign which currently adorns the stairwell will be installed in the front window once they sort out some less blinding lights!

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The bar was built from scratch from the remains of another business and absolutely everything had to be installed from scratch, from the toilets to the electricity to the rum cabinet.

Los Barbudos, 95 Smith St, Fitzroy

And that’s what Los Barbudos specialises in – rum. We’re talking Mojitos, Cuba Libres (highballs made of cola, lime and white rum) and Hemingway Daquiris in addition to Cuban beers and Latin wines. We found the cocktails to be on the sweet end of the spectrum and the mojitos (and Cuba Libres) might be best value cocktails in town at $10 after the opening special.

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Cuban food stuffs will be provided by ‘El Paladar’, a food truck to be run by the Chingon crew and from the end of the August it will be permanently parked in the upper level garage space en route to the loos (take another turn and you’ll end up at the back of Mr Wow’s Emporium).

Los Barbudos, 95 Smith St, Fitzroy

For the moment the Cuban/Caribbean cuisine is being dished out by the striking copper Chingon taco truck and you’ll be able to order Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, Caribbean spiced chicken wings with Cuban rice and tostones con frijoles (fried plantains with black beans) which you can take back to the bar to eat.

Los Barbudos, 95 Smith St, Fitzroy

From the food I tried I thought the wings could do with more seasoning and spice but the chicken-stock soaked bed of rice was delicious. The crunchy, lightly salted plantain chips made an interesting, banana-ry change from potato or corn chips and I enjoyed the spicy bean mixed with goats cheese. It’s no-frills, hearty and messy finger food and matched well with the slightly grungy, down-at-heel aesthetic of the bar.

Los Barbudos, 95 Smith St, Fitzroy

The prime position is the front window bench where you can perch on a stool and watch the passing parade on Smith Street. Outside it’s wintery winds, inside it’s Carribean steaminess. Cuba, welcome to Fitzroy. Fitzroy, welcome to Cuba.

Los Barbudos, 95 Smith St, Fitzroy +

Wednesday to Sunday, 5pm-1am.

Los Barbudos on Urbanspoon

Melbourne Museum Smartbar Giveaway

The Melbourne Museum is running Smartbar again, opening the museum up at night for an adults-only event.

The theme this time is Mind and Body and it promises to be an interesting and fun night. There will be psych experiments, lectures on life-drawing classes plus food and drink for purchase and DJing the night with a playlist featuring songs about or with the words Brain, Mind and Eyes!

Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 concession/MV members. Get in quick as the event sold out fast last time.

Giveaway! Thanks the Melbourne Museum I have one double pass to giveaway to attend Smartbar on Thursday 26 July. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment and a winner will be drawn randomly on Friday 20 July. Good luck!

And the winner of the Underground Cinema double pass is Madeleine. I’ll be in touch soon!

HOT: Red River BBQ and BurgerMary Short Order, The Workers Club, cnr Brunswick and Gertrude St, Fitzroy

The dude food trend continues to race through Melbourne, this time in the form of Short Order.
Every Wednesday night Texan barbecue specialists Red River BBQ and ‘honorary Texan’ BurgerMary (aka Jess also from Sugadeaux Cupcakes) take over the kitchen at relaxed boozer The Workers Club and sell out their short, affordable menu of Texas-style barbecue favourites.

In fact, since opening two weeks ago they’ve been so busy that I really recommend you get in quickly when they start service at 6pm. Be prepared for a bit of a wait for your food if you hit peak hour around 7:30pm – we had to hover to get a table and every time the waitress brought food over the person who received it cheered like they’d won bingo!

I’ve never been to Texas so I can’t say whether their Texas style barbecue is authentic – a quick Wikipedia search says that in fact Texas barbecue can be divided into East, West, Central and South Texas styles – but let’s just say it’s very, very tasty.

The food is unfussy and messy and made to be eaten with your hands. There are two sandwich on offer – one of pulled pork ($13) and the other of brisket ($14). Both meats are dry-rubbed with spices and then smoked on American oak chips for up to fourteen hours, resulting in melt-in the mouth meat in your burger. The brisket has sold out earlier every time but the pulled pork is no consolation prize – the meat is so tender you barely have to chew and I loved the creamy and crunchy coleslaw accompaniment.

Also worth trying are the chicken wings ($8 for 6). There’s no proper barbecue without finger-licking wings and you have a choice of three marinades – Red River BBQ (a bottle of which you can buy for $10), honey mustard or habanero hot. I didn’t find the habanero too spicy at all and the ranch dressing ($1) wasn’t really needed to temper the heat.

Every week there are specials such as beer and molasses beans which were on offer the night I went.

Burger, wings, beer. The formula for a perfect barbecue in Fitzroy.

Red River BBQ and BurgerMary Short Order,


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HOT: Friday BBQ, Section 8, 27-29 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne

To celebrate summer (or whenever the warm weather decides to end for good) popular container bar Section 8 are hosting a Friday barbecue of footlong hotdogs.

Section 8 is one of my go-to venues for out of town visitors – it’s pretty hidden away in a Chinatown vacant lot, grungy cool in the way Melbourne does best and unusually designed, with seating on stacked wooden pallets, street art all over the brickwork and the bar housed in a graffitied shipping container. It’s the pop up bar that stayed.

During lunch times it seems to be particularly popular with RMIT students and smokers, being completely outdoors. Being neither a student or a smoker I was still lured there by the thought of an enormous sausage in a bun. Never mind that I was pushing a pram and feeding baby food to my hipster-to-be.

The barbecue is a simple grill affair cunningly designed from old supermarket trolleys and the sausages are freshly cooked to order.

For $7 you get a (fancy pants) spicy pork sausage from 40 year old Continental butchers R & G Russo on Lygon Street nestled in half a baguette from Brumbys (not so fancy pants). They recommend getting two sides to go with it ($1 each) with choices ranging from gherkins, pickles, Asian salsa and caramelised onions.

When they say footlong they really mean as long as your arm! Here’s a photo with a size comparison. It’s a messy, juicy affair but oh so good for filling the lunchtime gap. I recommend the very spicy Asian salsa with caramelised onions to temper the heat.

Friday BBQ, Section 8, 27-29 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne +

12-3pm every Friday until summer ends


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Section 8 on Urbanspoon

HOT: Mad Cow Thursdays, Hotel Nest, 111 Victoria Ave, Albert Park

A steak for $1? Too good to be true, I hear you say.

Well, on Thursdays at Hotel Nest they’ve termed it ‘Mad Cow Thursdays’ when premium John Dee sirloin steaks start from $1 for a 125g steak! The catch is that you’re likely to be spending more than $1 as the larger steaks cost more and sides and sauces cost extra.

While the normal a la carte menu is still available on Thursdays the steak deal was just too good to pass up. We opted for 250g steaks cooked to your liking ($5) plus two sides each ($3) and sauce ($1).

My medium-rare steak was cooked to the right degree with criss-cross charred grill marks and it came with fries and green beans. The side portions were on a measly side so I’d recommend ordering three items to properly fill up your plate.

Evidently word about Mad Cow Thursdays hasn’t got out too far yet. On our lunch time visit the airy Greenhouse part of Hotel Nest, filled with basket ferns hung against a white-washed backdrop, was reasonably empty. It’s not the best steak you’ll ever had but for under $15 in ritzy Albert Park it’s a cheap and filling pub lunch.

My travel to this pub was made possible thanks to the Holden Barina.

Mad Cow Thursdays, Hotel Nest, 111 Victoria Ave, Albert Park +

Tue – Thu: 12:00 pm-12:00 am
Fri: 12:00 pm – 1:00 am
Sat: 10:00 am – 1:00 am
Sun: 10:00 am – 12:00 am
Hotel Nest on Urbanspoon

HOT: The Everleigh, Level 1, 150 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

When I first moved to Melbourne straight out of university, one of my favourite bars was Jet Bar on Gertrude Street (anyone else remember it?). It was quiet, intimate and had a super-comfy red velvet chaise lounge near the front window. Hanging out there, listening to soft jazz, felt grown up.

I don’t know what ever happened to Jet Bar but I think it’s about time that Fitzroy got back a grown-up bar of its own. Hate to say it but I’m too old for the crowd at A Bar Called Barry and so I was very pleased to hear about the opening of .

The hard-to-find upstairs space of the defunct Dante’s has been transformed into a classically glamorous, but still relaxed and cosy, cocktail bar. It’s the newest addition to Manhattan’s Milk & Honey family but without the pesky membership requirements. Our Fitzroy version is much more egalitarian but shares the same good looks as Milk & Honey London which I’d visited a few years ago.

The two room, split-level space is all about plush leather booths, crystal chandeliers, polished mirrored tables and candelit confidences. Swing, big band and jazz play in the background, evoking a bygone era of elegant drinking. As for the cocktails? Of the two I tried (Rum Fizz and Fitzgerald), my pick was the Fitzgerald. Presumably named after one of my favourite Jazz Age authors, it was a classic mix of gin, lemon, sugar and bitters.

doesn’t require reservations but they can’t accommodate groups larger than six – so gather your best friends or your lover for a date with this classy bar.

, Level 1, 150-156 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy +
Mon-Sun 5pm-1am

The Everleigh on Urbanspoon

HOT: Naked for Satan, 285 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

When Naked for Satan first opened in September 2010, it was all about the drinking. The bar infuses its own vodka in a polished metal engine-like contraption and as the wall of wine attests, it’s a gathering place for people to drink and be merry.

A year later, the focus seems to have turned to the food accompanying the drinking – namely pintxos, little bite-sized morsels hailing from the Basque region of Spain. The shift has occurred because every weekday lunch and Monday to Wednesday evenings all the pintxos are 80c, which means that you can have a filling meal of hot and cold bites for under $10. Even at the normal price of $2 about ten pintxos is a decent meal for $20.

The bar operates mainly on an honour system, which comprises two elements. Firstly, as is traditional with pintxos, the price of the food is charged by the number of toothpicks on your plate which should correspond with number of pintxos you’ve taken. Secondly, a sign on each table informs you that the only way the business can provide food at under cost price is by relying on people to buy a drink – so chip in.

While the restaurant is surprisingly large, running over two bordello-bedecked levels, on a weekday it was pretty much full to the brim. At lunch time most people are unlikely to go nuts ordering alcohol, which means that lots of uni students seems to have latched onto the great deal on offer at Naked for Satan. It also seemed to be popular with young mums – and why not, it’s cheap, friendly, noisy enough to mask any crying and food that can be eaten with one hand while nursing a baby!

The selection of pintxos was surprisingly vast. The cold items are placed on the bar counter and are self-serve. I counted at least a dozen different offerings, ranging from grilled octopus to rice balls to chorizo. Hot items, the most memorable of which were some delectable fried croquettes with green olives, were brought out by the staff who circled the tables regularly. The food came so quickly that I could barely keep up.

Most of the food was tasty and went well with drinks and chat – not particularly refined but filling, cheap and good enough for a return visit. Forego the slabs of baguette base and you can fit in more :–)

For other good value lunch options in Fitzroy, try Le Cellier, Johnston Street Foodstore and Hooked.

Naked for Satan, 285 Brunswick St, Fitzroy +
Naked For Satan on Urbanspoon