STOKEHOUSE
Upstairs 30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda Victoria 3182
W www.stokehouse.com.au
E stokehouse@theprince.com.au
T +61 3 9525 5555
F +61 3 9525 5291
OPEN Upstairs 7 days lunch from 12 noon and dinner from 6.00 pm reservations highly recommended weekends, especially public holidays

FOOD Athony Musara remains one of Melbourne’s most underrated and under appreciated chefs. His confident hand is produce driven and the food his kitchen dispenses with great efficiency is some of Melbourne’s best in the mid-price range. The skill and work on the plate is a mark of respect for himself, his kitchen and his diners but at no stage does he succumb to tricky food just for the sake of appearance. Musara’s food is beautiful to look at but most of all wonderful to eat. Add the informality and view of the upstairs Stokehouse room that is blessed with complete professionalism knowing just how to pitch exactly the right tone for what is meant to be a casual beachside dining destination. Creating a comfortable and informal restaurant does not mean that the food, wine list or service is in any way compromised. What it does mean is that you can tack along the beach for a long walk and still come into the restaurant without being ostracised for not being dressed in designer clobber or a suit.
Many may criticize a chef of this caliber for serving dishes as simple (and as popular) as Fish and chips, but everything is done well and writing a menu that will satisfy a very broad clientele always has some compromises with the overall structure. The one thing you can be assured of is, that if Musara has fish and chips on his menu they will be good fish and chips. The balance found in Musara’s food is rare. Quality seasonal produce each ingredient remains perceptible in the dish. The Seared Tuna and smoked eel with pear salad and horseradish cream $27.50 was stunning, the tuna perfectly cooked and just enough of the rich fatty eel sat of two sliced of potato that were freshly cooked and just warmed, and piled on them was the julienned pear salad that was made tasty with finely sliced celery and chive. There was just the right amount of horseradish cream to finish the dish.
The Rabbit tortellini with fontina cheese and peas $25.50/$35.50 was equally wonderful. Three generous torteloni (get it right everyone, tortellini are at most 3cm) filled with moist rabbit confit, the sauce was complex with shredded cos, sweet new spring peas and a lick of glaze before being smothered with finely shaved Fontina cheese. A complex combination that could have easily smothered the delicate flavours of the rabbit filling the dish was cleverly balanced. Curiously you can almost tell the worth of an establishment by their bread, pasta dough and oysters. Musara clearly knows pasta dough is not made with bread flour.
On our first visit in 2007 a dessert Mandarin and passionfruit ice cream vacherin with blood orange syrup was so good that we have been dreaming about it ever since. Whilst we had hoped it might have become a signature dish sadly it was not to be. A diverse selection the Valrhona chocolate jelly and caffe latte pannacotta with drunken prunes and choc malt ice cream $19.50 was chosen. Rich and textural it was flawless.
No sleight of hand, no stupid garnishes, no nasty infused oils or boiled down cheap balsamic. This is really terrific food in one of Melbourne’s best and oldest beachside locations. Stokehouse also defies the common opinion that fabulous view and food rarely go together. We think the Stokehouse is terrific, but if you don’t like children running around in a restaurant Saturday and Sunday lunch might not be the best times to enjoy this really fabulous restaurant. The Stokehouse is a professional ship and long may she sail with Musara as her culinary captain.

WINE Hurray, a restaurant that is a seven day operation, all things to all people, who have the good sense to run two sommeliers thus always providing the same level of wine service and advice. The Stokehouse list allows for the ultimate indulgence and is one that is only compiled after years of business and dedication to amassing a complex cellar. We particularly appreciate the careful cellaring of half bottles that can make dining at the Stokehouse even more exciting. Wines by the glass are limited but since full bottles lurked in Veuve Clicquot ice buckets near every table one must assume that their diners do not object. Their entire wine list can be downloaded from their web site, a good idea to make time to look before arriving at the restaurant because seriously perusing their wine list is not a five minute glance.

OWNERS — Sharon and Frank Van Haandl
CHEF — Anthony Musara
RESTAURANT MANAGER — Roger Fowler
SOMMELIERS — Thayer Eiby and Iona Baker