There’s a new bar opening from the guys behind Melbourne’s Collection Bar.
Owen Westman and Paul Fitzsimmons have joined with Collection Bar’s bar manager, Adam Ciccolini to open the doors on Port of Call: Saloon & Island Grill tonight, at 213 Franklin St, Melbourne.
This is the first venue for the lads to build from the ground up, and judging by the images here they’ve done a great job. The idea is to have three venues in one, they said, and to pay “homage to the discovery of the new world through the pursuit of spice.” To that end there will be plenty of sugarcane spirits, and an “island inspired BBQ”. Think charcoal grilled jerk chicken, and you’re on the right track.
They’ve got a hydroponic set up, too. Wait, what? It’s for the tropical fruits and chilli they’re growing in-house, apparently, and a forest canopy above their downstairs drink kitchen. There is also jungle courtyard space, and then upstairs offers up more of an ‘officer and a gentleman’ vibe with a sit down, leather-bound cocktailing experience — provided you can find the secret entrance.
The emphasis at Port of Call will be shared between food and drink, said Westman, but we do like what they’ve got going on in the drinks department. “We have a really top team of bartenders who have put together a great cocktail list including five Rum punches from five islands of the Caribbean, using their local rum and favoured spices,” Westman said.