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The venue itself comprises three dining areas including the light-filled tasting room for casual dining, the large main dining room and family room with children\u2019s play area.<\/p>\n
Award-winning Melbourne architectural design firm Ewert Leaf worked wonders with the space and venue manager Tyler Ellery is delighted with the overall look and feel that\u2019s been achieved.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m absolutely thrilled. It was a long process but I couldn\u2019t be happier,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Tyler\u2019s father, former Asahi CEO Greg Ellery, is the main investor and managing director of Sou\u2019West.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad has a sound knowledge of the food and beverage industry and I\u2019ve been in hospitality for over 12 years now running hotels and restaurants so it seemed like a good family progression for us to do something like this,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cI moved here in May anticipating a November opening but we had some issues with COVID and a few building obstacles but it looks absolutely amazing now it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n \u201cTorquay is the gateway to the Surf Coast. It already is such an iconic location but I feel like the demographic who is living here is crying out for more \u2026 we want to cater for everyone and have everyone feel comfortable in a welcoming and family-friendly environment.\u201d<\/p>\n The space, which opened less than a week ago, also lends itself to functions and mother\u2019s group get-togethers.<\/p>\n As Tyler will attest, first impressions of the interior are only a taste of what this exciting new venue has to offer and there is an additional cafe space yet to open.<\/p>\n At the heart of Sou\u2019West, of course, is a fantastic beer offering and an impressive menu catering to all ages and tastes.<\/p>\n The men taking the reins in that space are head brewer Luke Scott, formally of Prickly Moses, and head chef Alex McIntosh, whose most recent role was executive chef with At The Heads.<\/p>\n Both started six months ago and have immersed themselves in the project.<\/p>\n Luke says he embraced the opportunity to move closer to his home base of Geelong and take on a fresh challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cTo build something from the ground up of this size and magnitude was certainly a challenge for me and it sounded like a really exciting concept with the venue, the beers and what they were trying to achieve,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n There are six beers in the launch range, as well as a seasonal brew, which Luke describes as classic, easy-drinking session beers suited to a broad audience.<\/p>\n \u201cIn time we also plan to make two seltzers and a cider,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The brewing equipment is an American-built system that is among the best in the world and the bottling system is Italian. The brewery has the capacity to produce about 700,000 litres per annum.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the moment the majority of the production is earmarked for sales on site here, not going out into the wholesale market,\u201d says Luke, who started his career at Fosters.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to offer the beer here in an exclusive way but, in saying that, once we have volume if people are asking for the beer at other venues, we will supply them but we\u2019re not actively pushing sales.\u201d<\/p>\n Luke says it is exciting to see this area emerging as a brewery destination and he feels the Sou\u2019West offering will complement, rather than compete with, the existing brewers on the Surf Coast.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are just trying to make our beer the best we can and see if it stands up.\u201d<\/p>\n The drinks list also features an array of wines, sparkling and two spritzs. The coffee is locally brewed Ocean Grind.<\/p>\n Alex, who hails from Canada and won the 2019 Golden Plate Award for best chef, designed the menu to suit many occasions from those wanting a beer and snack, through to a full sit-down meal.<\/p>\n \u201cThe inspiration for the menu was a bit like the beers, we are just doing the classics but at a high level \u2013 really good quality, really tasty, excellent value and nothing that\u2019s too out there,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve taken inspiration from different places \u2013 there\u2019s some Asian stuff, some French stuff and there\u2019s some classic Australian stuff \u2013 it\u2019s just a good mix.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/05\/SouWest_Food_5190-1024x683.jpg?_t=1627369967\")
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