A wine bar of rare character, Geralds is as much a locals haunt as it is a destination venue for Peter Savage’s thoughtful cooking, Gerald and Mario’s smart wine and drinks selections and the uniquely personal ambience.
Fast forward, and not much has changed – although an Iberian Gerald’s, in San Sebastian, was added to the roster in 2014. They’re a bit more receptive to making cocktails. Well, a lot more. The walls are more heavily adorned with ornaments and collectables, and the shelves boast more drained prime bottles, spilt into glasses in good times past. But the vinyl, the eclectic selection of wines, the 1960s David Bailey portrait of Michael Caine that watches over all, and, most importantly, the attitude, has remained the same.
The by-the-glass policy has been similarly enduring, with the early arrivals dictating the open bottles, which can be switched around once exhausted, with ten typically open at any one time. The main list sits at a tick over 200, with and even international and domestic split, though Victorian wine makes up over two-thirds of the local listings. The soft drinks, cordials and bitters are all house made, and there’s a tight but broad-ranging beer offering, with both classic and original cocktails available. Food stretches from charcuterie, cheese and other typical wine bar snacks to changing small and large plates and deserts, with a “feed me” degustation option for those in for the longer haul. Indeed, under the decade-long stewardship of chef Peter Savage, Gerald’s Bar has become as a much a dining destination as it has a temple to liquid pleasures.
Words like ‘institution’ and ‘iconic’ get tossed around a lot, and not always with deep justification. But France-Soir, near the top of the Toorak Road hill in Melbourne’s South Yarra, has earned both of those monikers, and some time ago. It is indeed an iconic institution, and an establishment with a loyal following that few…
Some years back, Christian McCabe left behind successful restaurant Matterhorn, in Wellington, to try his luck across the Tasman. That first venture was the celebrated, though now closed, Town Mouse in Drummond Street, Carlton. Along with Town Mouse chef and co-owner Dave Verheul (a Matterhorn alumnus), McCabe branched out further, and more boldly, in 2015,…
While 2004 is hardly that long ago, it is in the veritable mists of time in respect to how much the wine-dispensing game has changed in Melbourne. Back then, James Broadway, an importer of Italian wine and Slow Food evangelist, and chef Brigitte Hafner, who had worked with Neil Perry, Kylie Kwong, Guy Grossi, Greg…
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