Michael Bacash is Melbourne’s fish whisperer, the man who sets the local seafood standard. He and Fiona Perkins have been serving top-notch dishes in their charcoal-toned restaurant for 15 years and at Toofey’s before that. It’s a grown-up place (chaps, get out that collared shirt), but easy and casual, too, with spot-on service. Oysters? What about briny Wapengo rocks, or Pacifics given the gratin treatment with parmesan? Locals love the fish of the day (whether it’s New Zealand yellowbelly flounder or rock flathead, it’s going to be in great nick) all fresh and simply grilled, with crunchy shoestring fries, green salad and tartare sauce. Other favourites include plates of garlicky spaghetti (loaded up with on request) featuring mussels, prawns, fish, and calamari. Snapper fillet Lebanese-style on a bed of braised silverbeet scented with sumac is a winner, as is the insanely good milk-choc mousse with salted caramel and peanut crunch.
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide
Food: ★
Wine: ★ ★
Gourmet Traveller’s star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars, reflect reviewers’ first-hand experiences. The best-rated restaurants form our national Top 100. Our wine ratings, from zero to three stars, are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
