THE DOG’S BAR

St. Kilda
Melbourne

People are creatures of habit. In the Hinch travel section recently I talked about Double Bay in Sydney. But, when it comes to restaurants, in Melbourne, there are people who only dine in Carlton and there are people in Toorak who would not cross the Yarra. There are the South Yarra aficionados and the St Kilda brigade.

The St Kilda mob go to the same places every weekend. And one of the most popular is The Dog’s Bar. For good reason. Good booze. Good food. Good atmosphere. Trendy people.

I went there again recently… and got involved in the bloody whitebait debate again. Ordered a plate and got a plate of sardines. Yet again. It is a lie, a food fraud, from Melbourne to Brisbane. Offer me sardines and I will buy sardines and enjoy them. But don’t tell me sardines are whitebait.

The Dog’s Bar rapturously says: “ Whitebait, lightly fried and served on green leaves with spiced remoulade”.” But it is not whitebait. It is sardines.

Ironically, because I am not a great lover of animals, I found a solution for my plate of fried “whitebait”. At the Dog’s Bar I put it on the floor for another patron’s dog. And he ate the lot. Demolished it.

There were other things to enjoy when we dropped in for a snack. Their saganaki –pan fried sheep’s milk cheese – was beautiful.

And you won’t find better than their potato chips which they describe as “crisp fried straight cut potato chips and spiced remoulade.”

They’ve got pizzas – veg or meat –and their dips sound good. Three different ones with char grilled baked bread and olive oil.

There’s a warm chicken salad with orange, avocado, cashews and mixed leaves. And I’ll go back for their “pistachio crusted calamari” or the Italian sausages on potato mash with red onion jam.

The Dog’s Bar is a great place. Friendly, eclectic. A perfect Saturday or Sunday oasis. And you don’t have to cross the Yarra.