First Look: Wowee Zowee Is Mornington’s New Fried Chicken and Rock’n’Roll Bar

Clint Hyndman’s favourite movie is Cocktail. So while he’s been busy rocking out on stage with everyone from Silverchair to David Bowie for the past 25 years (as drummer in Something for Kate), he’s been sure to spend some quality couch time watching the flick. That’s also why there’s a poster of Tom Cruise behind the bar at Wowee Zowee – Hyndman’s new fried chicken and rock’n’roll bar in Mornington.

Wowee Zowee is not the first time Hyndman’s been able to play out his Cocktail dreams. He’s also owned Yellow Bird Cafe in Windsor since 2007 and now splits his time between manning the bar and touring and recording with Something for Kate. At Wowee Zowee he wants you to feel at home and hear your stories.

“After moving back to the peninsula, we wanted to create the kind of place you can go to alone, sit at the bar and just talk to the barman,” says Hyndman, who co-owns the bar with Paringa Estate head chef Simon Tarlington, winemaker Cameron Marshall and builder Craig Baum.

Tarlington’s menu has some ripper fried chicken – it’s hot-brined, floured and spiced before frying – and clever vegan snacks. The vegan Broc‘n’Roll is a fresh bread roll stuffed with spiced broccolini, cashew feta from The Vegan Dairy, and salt and vinegar chips. Elsewhere, popcorn cauliflower comes with Frank’s hot sauce and a cauliflower ranch dressing. But Tarlington’s favourite dish is the Dirty Bird – a master stock-marinated chicken thigh that’s fried then served on a cheesy Dr Marty’s crumpet with honey soy butter and a side of slaw.

Marshall, who runs top peninsula wine label Garagiste and its sister label Range Life, takes care of the wine list. You’ll find approachable drops such as the Range Life pinot noir alongside a left-of-centre Le Stagiaire chardonnay. The fridge is full of craft beer from Mr Banks, Hop Nation and Moon Dog; and on tap are Young Henrys, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Kona Big Wave and Mountain Goat. If you want to get a bit loose, a weekly $15 tinnie and shot special could start your night, but if a gentle cocktail is more your thing there’s the Sharlene’s Spritz made from St Germain Elderflower liqueur, prosecco and strawberries. At happy hour, from 4pm to 6pm daily, there are $2 buttermilk chicken tenders, $8 pints, $16 jugs, $5 glasses of wine and $6 house spirits.

Baum is responsible for the fit-out. He handcrafted the bar from old recycled Tasmanian oak and brass, spending three weeks gluing more than 30 pieces of wood together. The brief was to create a lived-in vibe, and you can’t help but lean all over this bar. The base is decorated with current music and festival posters and there are handcrafted bar stools and cosy dark booths lit up by fairy lights.

The Wowee Zowee soundtrack includes Pavement – the bar is named after the band’s 1995 album – Thin Lizzy, Sonic Youth, Blondie, Cheap Trick and ZZ Top. There are a few house rules but the most important one is the last one: no requests, unless it’s Surrender by Cheap Trick.

“You can’t go wrong with everyone singing ‘Mommy’s alright, Daddy’s alright, they just seem a little weird’ in unison,” says Hyndman. “It’s waaaaaaaaay better than Wonderwall.”

Wowee Zowee
35 Main Street, Mornington
No phone

Hours:
Wed to Sat 4pm–late
Sun 4pm–11pm

woweezowee.com.au