PHILLIP ISLAND
It wasn’t that long ago that Phillip Island in Victoria was known just for its little penguins and high-octane motorbike racing ...
But if anything good came out of the COVID-19 pandemic from the last two years, it was the mass migration of food entrepreneurs and city dwellers who have made a move to the Island to not just add to, but also amplify, some incredible epicurean experiences that makes this South Gippsland hideaway a seaside food destination.
Better still, the Island is continuing to evolve itself and these experiences are not just for foodies, but they’re perfect for singles, couples and families.
Here’s four unmissable and fresh new spots helping change the tasty face of Phillip Island:
WOOLI TAVERN 1 Vista Pl, Cape Woolamai VIC 3925
Family-run restaurant with warm timber interiors, serving hearty pub-fare and good local beers. Huge open space with pool tables and warm log fires. Perfect for a winter escape.
PHILLIP ISLAND WINERY 414 Berrys Beach Rd, Ventnor VIC 3922
From little things, big things grow. From its award-winning Rose to its new tasting room and atrium space perfect for looooong boozy lunches, Phillip Island Winery was the original pioneer of food and wine experiences in this part of South Gippsland. The way these guys are expanding, they could run out of space real quickly.
KELP 141 Marine Parade, San Remo VIC 3925
Tasty, tiki inspired tapas bar oozing summer vibes and a cool young crowd. Cocktails pour into mouths here alongside tasty tacos and good tunes.
BANG BANG 13/18 Phillip Island Rd, Cape Woolamai VIC 3925
This breezy, coastal bar and restaurant serves up some of the best Asian fusion in the state. But don’t just come here for the food, because the mixologists behind the bar are next level and will help you get well on the way to the sort of island drunk you expect when coming to a place like Phillip Island.
Click to watch
GO BEHIND THE BAR
get lost are asking the world’s best mixologists to give some insider secrets ...
on how to make some of their favourite cocktails.
A Scottish transplant who found her place among Melbourne's famous rooftops and laneways, Cara Devine, has spent almost 15 years 'behind the bar', working across three continents to both serve and educate the thirsty masses. With Behind the Bar – her popular YouTube series – she's now delivering that knowledge to a global audience.
Behind the Bar is a safe space to learn about cocktails, spirits and bar culture, courtesy of bartender Cara Devine. With over 136,000 YouTube subscribers, Cara has been demystifying the world of drinks since 2019, arming viewers with the tools and knowledge needed to not only make a killer cocktail, but also explore and experiment on their own.
According to Cara, her take on the classic Negroni is one of the best examples of the interplay of sweet, strong and bitter (or sour) that underpins every well balanced cocktail, and it's an iconic drink for this reason.
“During a trial shift for my first bar job in Melbourne, the bar manager asked me to make a Negroni but not a classic Negroni,” she tells get lost. “I kept the original formula of equal parts spirit, bitters and aromatised wine but aimed for a richer, after dinner drink. Luckily it worked, and I got the job!”
“Swapping out ingredients to create twists on classics is my favourite way to come up with cocktails and is something everyone can try at home – there's almost always something you can substitute that will bring the same effect as the original ingredient in the recipe but in a new way.”
CARA’S CARIÑO
Strain over a large block of ice in a rocks glass
DIFFICULTY SCALE:
MUDDLER → MIXOLOGIST
HECTIC SCALE:
BIT OF A SQUARE → CRUSHING IT
RECIPE
30ml Amaro Nonino
30ml Cocchi Americano
30ml aged rum (something rich and chocolate-y like Diplomatico or Plantation Dark is ideal)
2 dashes Mr Black Cacao and Macadamia bitters (any nutty bitters works, or orange bitters if you don't have any)
Orange twist to garnish (fold your twist sharply over the top to expel the oils and use to garnish)
SKY BAR, MELBOURNE
Reminiscent of some of the great rooftop bars in Bangkok, New York and even London ...
Melbourne’s new Sky Bar is a breath of fresh, luxury air in the city’s already enormously popular skyline.
Elevated 139 metres above the ground atop the newly built Oakwood Premier Melbourne by Yarra Hotel Group, the bar features endless views, a five-star restaurant, two function areas with private bars (when we visited it was filled with whiskey and chocolate) as well as an floating outdoor lounge.
What's that gentle sway you’re feeling? It's probably the combination of being 40 floors in the air during Melbourne’s winter, combined with bringing six cocktails deep while standing at one of the most glamorous, illuminated bar tops we’ve ever seen.
SKY BAR 40/202 Normanby Rd, Southbank VIC 3006
CARAVAN, TASHKENT
In a quiet, unassuming neighbourhood of the old soviet-era run capital of Tashkent, Uzbekistan ...
the restaurant Caravan is insanely popular with both locals and tourists.
Named after the caravanserai (travelling convoys of ancient traders) who would pass through this region on their journeys along the Silk Road between Europe and Asia.
The restaurant serves authentic Central Asian fare and is one of the less intimidating places in the city to try the local delicacy of 'plov', which is a literal national obsession best described as fried greasy rice, served with onion, carrots and topped with ... horse meat.
get lost editor Jeremy Drake knows a thing or two about food poisoning from several bouts in both Thailand and Morocco, and can confirm that the plov here is both safe and delicious.
“I opted for a small portion of plov at Caravan, but when in Uzbekistan one cannot go a few metres on the street, let alone a few hours, without also grabbing a samsa as an after dinner snack,” he says. “The samsa is the sausage roll of Central Asia and the buttery, flaky pastry wrapped around lamb mince is a delicacy for the ages.”
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