Updated ,first published
Contemporary$$
Alive to the seasons, ready for anything.
Metre for metre, this has to be the hardest working wine bar in Melbourne. On the north wall, bottles sit on timber shelves that reach for the ceiling. Locals pick up pinot on the way to dinner; bar stool babes at the communal table browse the liquid library and settle in. They’re ordering chenin blanc that’s surprisingly lean and racy, and chasing it with one-bite cheese and onion gougeres.
From a tiny kitchen jammed into the corner, chef Jake Mayhew (ex-Etta) makes his own boudin noir using warm spices, and slices it into fat coins resting on Melba toasts. He dispatches Murray cod poached in sorrel butter, gorgeously jammy apple pie with cardamom custard, and wagyu that eats like soft butter but roars with smoky flavour, sliced and happily stranded on a sea of salty-sour nam jim jaew. If it goes with something from co-owner Campbell Burton’s list, it’s fair game for this menu.
Glasses are rarely empty, and questions on food or unfamiliar wines are answered easily, happily, almost gratefully. Wine bar has become an overused term, but file this one under pure breed.
Good to know: From 4pm to 6pm on weekdays, you can buy a bottle to drink there at the takeaway price.
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
Last visited: September 2026
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