Visit Geelong’s Little Malop Street any night of the week and the energy is so high it could power the grid. The pedestrian precinct teems with people drinking and snacking at bijou bars and restaurants, with the fun snaking down an adjacent laneway to modern French restaurant Felix. “People are realising what Geelong has to offer,” says co-owner Charles Roy. “The city’s evolution into a food destination has been amazing over the past few years.”
Victoria’s second biggest city hasn’t powered up its visitation game alone. It’s embedded in a regional ecosystem that includes the celebrated wines of the Moorabool Valley and the producers from land and sea of the Bellarine Peninsula.
They coalesce at Felix, where spanner crab profiteroles and leek and Gruyère croquettes can be enjoyed with a glass of chardonnay in a dining room that’s a study in casual chic.
It’s not the only precinct in which Geelong is getting its groove on. Five minutes’ drive away on Pakington Street in the city’s trendy Newtown, Two Noble is the elegant paper lantern-strung home of a punchy mod-Asian menu – think betel leaf-wrapped octopus, fiery chicken larb and beef short rib rendang – executed by former Coda chef Mario Tambajong.
The culinary jewel in the crown of the Sawyers Arms, a classic pub reinvented with cosmopolitan èlan by owner Paul Upham, the newcomer restaurant represents the latest turn of the city’s dining wheel. “I grew up in Geelong and it’s certainly come a long way,” says Upham. “There’s a solid core of 20 really great restaurants to visit.” Upham has just added a third restaurant to his mix, opening Eileen’s Charcoal Grill, with a steak-forward menu and an interior peppered with nostalgic Geelong photos and footy memorabilia.
Want proof? Head further up “Pako”, as it’s locally known, to its village-like Geelong West end. It’s here you’ll find the celebrated restaurant Tulip, a pioneer still going strong after 11 years.
Across the street the new guard is ably represented by the compelling Singaporean flavours of Baah Lah! Chef-owner Brian Anderson is attuned to Geelong’s dining algorithms: “Fun and not too fluffy. Just really delicious food.” He channels his heritage through locally grown produce and a knack for updating classic dishes with flair: look no further than the signature dry-aged roasted duck with sticky hoisin caramel and pickled fennel, or his Singaporean chilli crab doughnuts, which are best enjoyed with the complex, dry and sassy rosé from leading Moorabool winery Lethbridge Wines.
You don’t have to travel far to get a taste of the broader region. Just 30 minutes’ drive from Geelong at the far end of the Bellarine, imposing modern restaurant TARRA at the newly built Queenscliff ferry terminal practically has its toes in the sand – which works well for chef Michael Demagistris, who forages for beach succulents such as samphire, bower spinach and the brown algae he uses in a bone broth consommé anchoring free range pork sui mai.
An added bonus of dining at this striking new landmark? You might spy dolphins or whales from your table. “It’s amazing what I get to see each day from the open kitchen,” says Demagistris. “It really is an incredible part of the world that gives back on so many levels.”
Feeling inspired? You should be, because this new drinking and dining frontier is just waiting to be explored and enjoyed.
Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine is a regional tourism organisation promoting the spectacular beaches, wineries, restaurants, distilleries, golf courses and natural beauty of the area. A 1-hour drive from Melbourne, Geelong is Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design with exceptional arts, dining and waterfront precincts.
