One of my favourite places in Melbourne is the Abbotsford Convent. Its one of the few locations where you can feel like you are in the country and yet be only 10 mins drive from the city...quite an achievement. It's also a great hub for artists, well-being practitioners, foodies and eccentrics. Case in point...Steve Miller, aka 'Handsome Steve'. Musician (he used to be in Dave Graney's old band The Moodists), indie record label owner and former publican (he used to run the Standard in Fitzroy in its glory days in the mid ‘90s), Steve has a fascination with pop culture ephemera (he once bought a dalek for his 4 year old daughter for her birthday) and a record collection to die for (I used to share an office with him so I know) - and one of the most elegant coif's in Melbourne. A few years ago he opened Handsome Steve's House of Refreshment at the Abbotsford Convent. The idea? he wanted to recreate the old-fashioned 'wog bar' those mysterious places where old men of Mediterranean extraction used to convene for espressos, beer and cards. The House of Refreshment is easily sighted, but not easy to find. A conundrum perhaps? Well, as you arrive through the gates of the convent you can see it - most of the tables are on an outdoor balcony in a building on the right. However the entrance is not easy to find - there is no signage. This is quite deliberate on Handsome Steve's part. As he told me when I visited 'I like my customers to be intrepid'!!!
Once you do find it, you will find a convivial host who will serve you a pie or a pannacotta (they are made in Thornbury and they are DELICIOUS!), tell you a joke or a story about the latest happenings at his favourite football club, Geelong (the place is a bit of a shrine to them..). Because I LOVE this place so much I thought I'd end this post with a few words from the man himself, from his website..because it really sums this place up.
“I’m able to pay tribute to those increasingly rare oases that I reckon have played an unheralded part in changing Melbourne for the better since 1953….. the timeless beauty of the Wog Bar. Coffee, Beer, Snack. T.V. What more do you need? Not a low fat muffin in sight.Pork products abound, salted nuts, curly nuts, nuts in a shell, cheese, a beer tap, some wine, Jackie Mittoo on the stereo the French Connection on the telly. Throw your rubbish on the floor, go outside on the terrace and fag all you like. You might forget you’re in Melbourne but you’ll certainly know you’re in the House of Refreshment.”
Once you do find it, you will find a convivial host who will serve you a pie or a pannacotta (they are made in Thornbury and they are DELICIOUS!), tell you a joke or a story about the latest happenings at his favourite football club, Geelong (the place is a bit of a shrine to them..). Because I LOVE this place so much I thought I'd end this post with a few words from the man himself, from his website..because it really sums this place up.
“I’m able to pay tribute to those increasingly rare oases that I reckon have played an unheralded part in changing Melbourne for the better since 1953….. the timeless beauty of the Wog Bar. Coffee, Beer, Snack. T.V. What more do you need? Not a low fat muffin in sight.Pork products abound, salted nuts, curly nuts, nuts in a shell, cheese, a beer tap, some wine, Jackie Mittoo on the stereo the French Connection on the telly. Throw your rubbish on the floor, go outside on the terrace and fag all you like. You might forget you’re in Melbourne but you’ll certainly know you’re in the House of Refreshment.”
No comments:
Post a Comment