Exciting new coastal venues and summer dining buzz

IT’S all happening along our coast this summer, with a multitude of new venues set to open their doors ahead of the arrival of the warm holiday season.

I’m pretty excited to visit Ela, which can be found where Bob Sugar previously sat along the Torquay esplanade. Geelong lad Jason Gugliotti will open his first more-formal eatery – he owns the casual dining destinations of Pollo, as well as Greenbay café – based loosely around reimagined Mediterranean cuisine, but with a certain emphasis on Greek in particular. It definitely has the location to be a success, let’s just hope it has enough pull with the locals over the cooler months when the hype of summer dies down.

Another new coastal option, although this time in Ocean Grove, is Rove Bar. It’s an upstairs space that was once home to Zebra Bar, which first opened just as the pandemic hit. If it’s views you’re after, I’d challenge you to find a better spot in OG to enjoy a drink, as their west-facing, open outdoor deck can catches both vision of the ocean and sunset, in one. To compliment those views, live music will feature heavily too, promising tunes Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. There really aren’t a lot of great bars in Ocean Grove, so I’m hoping this team nail the brief: I have a sneaking suspicion they may, given one of the parties involved is also partners in the Pholklore/Bomboras empire.

Still the hottest ticket in Lorne (I believe) is a table at Ipsos, although good luck trying to nab one at 7 o’clock on a Saturday night, you want be the only one with the urge. It’s been an dining institution along our Great Ocean Road for decades (minus a few years in the middle there) and continues to somehow feed the masses of hungry tourists and locals alike every day over summer with such charm, efficiency and bloody fresh seafood (it has a very smart wine list too). If you can be flexible on when that table might be available, just book it.

Heading back into the Geelong CBD, there’s a change of ownership happening at Lou’s Pizza and Wine, a personal pizza favourite of mine. Given its location, the tucked away venue (found at the rear of the Beav’s Bar, along Denny’s Place) can often get forgotten about by those how don’t visit the Little Malop Street precinct all that much, but it’s well worth remembering for anyone serious about their pizza. My pick? The spicy salami (pomodoro, fior de latte, nduja, salami, honey and fennel seeds) is still as good as any version done in Geelong. The new owners are well known to the area as well, operating the popular cocktail bar, Daisy, just down the road. I really like this place too: it has this kind of unpretentious-yet-uber-cool vibe, while the rotating cocktail selection never disappointments. I’m interested to see what they do at Lou’s, although here’s hoping they don’t stuff around with the dough mix too much.

For those interested in what produce might be at its peak right now from the garden to enjoy over the festive break, keep your eyes peeled for zucchini flowers, strawberries, peaches, cherries and artichokes, amongst a basket full of other fresh goodies. It’s probably one of my favourite times of year to be indulge in some solid goods from the garden, with so many plants hitting peak freshness during the hotter weather. And (of course) tomatoes will begin to ripen nicely as the summer months stretch on, but given our late spring rains, most growers chose to plant later this year: meaning whose waiting for their Caprese salad fix, may be left stranded another couple of months. Ah well, the wait is always worth it!

And if you’re still hunting those late last-minute Christmas gifts, I have two words for you: GIFT VOUCHER. Sure, there’s some that perceive the giving of a voucher as a bit of cop out (ie. lack of effort) but I completely disagree: I think it’s a much better alternative than gifting an item the recipient may not even value. Plus, buying people an experience – whether that’s for a meal, activity or travel – is so much better than that grey jumper they’re only going to wear a few times over winter (just saying). It’s also a great way to support our local hospitality scene over the summer period, as for some establishments (particularly restaurants in the CBD area, for example) January is usually a much quieter time, compared to the hustle and bustle of December.

To all the readers out there, have a safe and merry Christmas, hopefully filled with lots of pudding and champagne. The Local Palate columns will continue over the break: tune in next week when I’ll be chatting with Mr Piano Bar himself, Andy Pobjoy, about his wild journey through the world of hospitality.