Bread, glorious bread

BY CAM O’KEEFE

No longer will you need to venture to Wallington in order to collect arguably Geelong’s finest sourdough.

With the opening of Ket Baker’s second outpost in Belmont, your freshly baked needs are now accounted for. Having even been only opened a couple of weeks, this (very) welcomed addition to High Street has proved a hit, with queues and items selling out already a common theme. It’s not just the great bread giving those a reason to visit here: croissants, danishes, buns and other assorted pastries (all sourdough of course) are equally worth making a in trip for. And if you still live closer to the bakery’s original HQ in Wallington, the team still aren’t missing a beat: there’s even now a neat collection feature found on their website store, giving you some ease of knowing you don’t need to beat the crowds to secure your favourite loaf.

Another new opening, this time found along the river-end of Pakington Street, is The Birch Café. It’s the third venue from Brian Anderson, a hospitality chef/operator whose stable includes Little Malop dumpling joint, Bahjong, and modern Asian eatery Baah Lah. Twisting the Asian fusion model is clearly his strength: the café menu blends traditional breakfast classics with the obscure-breakfast-flavours that you might more commonly find waking up in Hong Kong or Manila. Dishes such as beef rendang eggs benedict, the breakfast banh mi, Asian style French toast, and red cabbage Okonomiyaki pancakes, are some of the morning options sure to raise the eyebrows of more than few avo and toast eaters. And why not?! Breakfast doesn’t need to be limited to a handful of more commonly found items, nor should it be about the safe and dependable: I think it’s great to see a place pushing the breakfast boat out a little further and serving up dishes like these (and if you can’t fathom consuming these at breakfast time, they’re available for lunch too). I love the fur-specific meals you can order for your beloved four-legged lunch companions too! I have a reliable 13-inch tall contact who can vouch for the chicken breast & broccoli bowl, as well as the doggo house made granola bar (a spot in the sun in their back courtyard is highly recommend too if you’re bringing you’re faithful fur friend). The site has been a mix of failed themes and names over the previous decade and a bit (including We Are The Press, Picket Fence, The Cottage and Bobby Dre’s) so let’s hope this current version can hold up a little longer than some of its predecessors.

Heading now to the other end of Pako, one of the biggest finds over the past few weeks (if not months) is a little Vietnamese outlet called Country Pho. I’m a touch late to party here, since the venue has been trading for nearly three years now, but hey, better late then never. As the name suggests, the pho here is the focus – as it should be, given it’s that delicious – but that’s not to discount the quality banh mi, fried salt and pepper chicken ribs, or spicy laksa (firmly now a new favourite of mine). The place lacks a proper website, but a quick look on their socials and you should be able to view the takeaway venue easily enough. There’s not really a drink offering, other than a few standard soft options, unless Vietnamese coffee is your thing, which then means you’re in for a treat. In true Viet style, the black drip filter coffee with condensed milk is probably the best you’ll find this side of Footscray (some regulars visit the store just to get their fix). It’s not really my jam, but who am I to tell others how to drink their coffee.

Finally, I’m excited to see what the redevelopment of the Queenscliff Brewhouse delivers, particularly as its new tenants are promising to spend upwards of seven figures on upgrading the pub’s fitout. Gone will be the previous venue’s distillery component – which was home to the now-defunct brand, Bellarine Gin – as well the whisky bar and microbrewery contents. In their place, expect more open plan dining spaces, an extended bar area, and an overall more family friendly theme to spend a lazy weekends in. It’s in a wonderful spot at the end of Gellibrand Street – adjacent to parklands and beach access, as well as the new ferry terminal – yet sometimes seems to get forgotten about by those Geelong daytrippers who stick to the town main drag. Locals won’t be long though until all will be revealed though, with the owners planning for a September opening, in time for some warmer summer weather and a few more tourists visiting from across the bay. It’s so great to see some fresh investment and interest being put into an otherwise rather sleepy coastal town, which is regularly (albeit sometimes unfairly) referred to as dated and dormant when it comes to hospitality offerings. Could venue’s original 1882 name – the Esplanade Hotel – even make a return? I’m sure the new owners are well aware of this too.