Hampton’s Kalye Marinas Introduces Melbourne to the Filipino Seafood Boil

“Growing up in the islands of the Philippines, seafood was abundant and it was a no-brainer to fuse the traditional boil from the US with authentic Filipino flavours,” says Richcy Sigre.

He runs Kalye Marinas with fellow Filipinos Abegail Almonte, Kristine Jane Alvarez and Honey Lynne Caranguian. The two couples met through common friends and already had independent plans to start their own businesses. Alvarez, who managed restaurants in the US for a number of years, always had seafood in mind. Sigre, who worked as a chef in Torquay, was also ready for something to call his own.

The crew opened the first Kalye Marinas in Geelong West in September 2022, combining the Tagalog words kalye (street) and marinas (marina). This second outpost, in Hampton, follows the same coastal aesthetic as the original.

The small-ish menu includes silog meals – fried-rice-based plates served with egg, pickled veggies and a protein such as tocino (sweet cured pork) or tapa (marinated beef). But the modular seafood boil section is the real highlight. Over four steps, choose your seafood (prawns, clams, mussels, lobster, crab legs and more), add-ons (corn, potatoes, sausages, eggs), sides (rice, hash browns, roti) and sauce. This last one is where things get interesting. You can opt for a sauce of simple garlic butter, Cajun spices or something Filipino, such as laing (a spicy sauce of coconut milk and shredded taro leaves) from the Bicol region where Almonte is from.

“Eating a boil is a communal meal, you eat with your hands and that’s also common in the Filipino culture. There is a sense of togetherness in breaking bread together, you’re part of a community. You belong,” Caranguian says.

Filipino desserts like halo halo (crushed ice filled with sweetened beans, candied fruits with ube, leche flan and ice cream) and turon (jackfruit and banana spring roll) are also available.

“We wanted to bring something new to the Melbourne scene with something that had significance to us, as friends and as couples. We believe dining is more than just a meal; it’s an experience,” Sigre says.

Kalye Marinas Filipino Grill and Seafood
502 Hampton Street, Hampton
(03) 7012 4396

Hours
Sun to Thu 11am–8 pm
Fri to Sat 11am–9pm

kalyemarinasfilipinogrillandseafood.com.au