Words by Richard Cornish Images Supplied
Up in Victoria’s North East, in the historic gold mining town of Stanley, is an old pub with ancient wisteria vines clinging to the veranda. The Stanley Pub has been serving locals and visitors since she first opened her doors in 1854.
During the late 1990s, this gold rush era boozer became a gastronomic destination, where food tourists would book a room and a table and make a weekend of it.
The news that restaurant impresario Peter Bartholomew, the man behind MoVida and Lee Ho Fook had bought the pub along with Beechworth chef Michael Ryan sure had tongues talking.
This week, after months of renovations and rejuvenation, the Stanley is open for business once more.
The new licensee is local chef Sally Wright. She is an accomplished chef who started her career in pubs running the kitchen in the halcyon days of the Argot and Alexandra hotels in South Yarra.
Recently she has been wowing locals with her catering company Taste Trekkers, and for the last months has been working up a menu for the Stanley.
The old pub retains its ochre yellow exterior but inside, it is a wonderland of antiques with a warm gothic bohemian feel.
The wine has been put together by local consultant Stephanie Eyles and consists of 40% local wines, 30% Australian, and the remainder wines of the world.
The menu is a joyful expression of Sally’s love of Asian food. The karage chicken is served with burdock, contract grown for her by a local co-operative of vegetable growers. There could be the classic Indonesian snack of ikan bilis – crunchy hot anchovies with peanuts mixed up with pork crackling.
In what is set to become a signature dish is a soft, white bread sandwich filled with slowly braised smoked pork hock that has been formed into a flat croquette, crumbed, and fried until crisp and golden.
There are red and green curries, tempura fried fish with yuzu, and miso tartare.
Sally is not re-booting the accommodation, instead focusing on the new produce and wine store opening in spring and the sprawling garden that will be ready for summer.
THE DETAILS:
WHAT: Top-end Asian-inspired gastro pub food
WHERE: Stanley Pub, 6-12 Myrtleford-Stanley Rd, Stanley
WHEN: From August 18
We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.
