East Melbourne can sometimes feel as if it’s set in a different era to the rest of the inner city, with its rows of ornate terraces, bluestone cottages and art deco apartments. It’s fitting, then, that the suburb’s new bar, Hemingway’s, sets out to evoke the past.

“We loved the idea of the swinging ’20s – it was quite opulent, with a lot of money around before the stock-market crash,” says Glen Bagnara (ex-Northern Light Yakitori Bar and Tazio), who co-owns the spot with business partners Ashleigh Dyer, head chef Patrick Dang (who’s worked at Kyneton’s Royal George Hotel), and Steph Mauer.

But Bagnara says that aside from the name (and some cocktail inspiration), there’s not much of a link to American novelist Ernest Hemingway. “It’s more about the time he lived in than Hemingway himself.”

Stay in the know with our free newsletter. The latest restaurants, must-see exhibitions, style trends, travel spots and more – curated by those who know.

SIGN UP

The space – which has views across to the MCG – is divided down the middle, with a brasserie on the left and a wine bar on the right. Both were curated by local interior designer Rosie O’Donnell with the spirit of 1920s Paris and New York in mind. There’s geometric printed wallpaper, glossy high-top benches, and details such as gramophones, period-correct encyclopedias and botanical arrangements by Wandering Jungle throughout.

The wine-bar side is perfect for casual boozing, with a list by Bagnara, who’s worked as a sommelier on European cruise ships. Covid has reined the list in a little, length and price-wise, but you’ll still find more than 100 wines here, ranging from $15 a glass to $1000 a bottle. Think classic European drops – such as the Ruinart house champagne and vibrant Laroche Petit Chablis – and enduring Aussie vintages, such as Kay Brothers’ full-bodied, basket-pressed McLaren Vale shiraz.

Big bottles for big, long lunches are in too. Friday to Sunday, get two courses from the main menu – as well as free-flowing wine from 1.5-litre magnums – for $109. “Everyone displays magnums and that’s great, but I never see anyone drinking them,” says Bagnara. “I was thinking, ‘Let’s have some fun with it.’”

Head bartender Alex Roe is behind the tight, five-cocktail list. Try the Torero Muerto, a mix of reposado tequila, apricot brandy, lime juice, and chilli- and coriander-infused agave. It’s inspired by Hemingway’s time in Spain. “He wrote a book called Death in the Afternoon about him relishing the experiences of bullfights in Madrid,” says Roe.

While you can order food in the bar, the French brasserie is for more serious appetites. Dang has created a series of lavish seafood starters, including scampi tartare; hand-picked spanner crab with asparagus three ways; and “delicatessen-style” ocean trout with sauce gribiche (a mayonnaise-style cold egg sauce), heirloom beetroot and a spelt-bread chip. You can also have a cheese trolley wheeled to your table, with a rotating selection of local and international cheeses (and house-baked lavosh).

For something larger, there’s dry-aged Otway sirloin in a beetroot and pinot noir reduction with black-garlic coulis and chestnut mushrooms, and corn-fed Aylesbury duck with charred turnip and caramelised pineapple.

Sides include roasted new potatoes with stracciatella, and grilled asparagus with olives and orange. And for dessert, there’s a Golden Delicious apple-inspired dessert with apple compote, white-chocolate mousse and salted-caramel strudel.

Hemingway’s Wine Room
150 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne
(03) 9416 5064

Hours:
Tue 5pm–11pm
Wed to Sat 12pm–11pm
Sun 12pm–3pm

hemingwayswineroom.com.au