New Pendant light for Fitzroy

Hospitality veterans Belinda Linten and Luke Kelly are set to open the doors to their first solo venture – Pendant Public Bar – slated to launch this month.

Interview by Kim Berry

You both have serious hospo chops, working at places like Black Pearl, Apollo Inn and The Everleigh over the last 15 years. What prompted the decision to open your own place?

We’ve just always wanted to work for ourselves, but bear in mind, we have no misconceptions about the degree of difficulty we’re about to face. We want to champion the products/producers we respect, feel an even deeper sense of community here in Fitzroy, and have full control of the playlist! We’ve learnt a lot of different facets of the industry from some great leaders, which gave us the confidence to take the leap.What is your vision for Pendant?The main style point is for it to feel like it’s always been here. Fitzroy is such a character-filled area, and this building is no exception. We want to make the most of its gorgeous features that (luckily) fit right in with our style. The brief we gave designers we are working with, Heck Studio, was “cosy old Irish pub meets balmy New Orleans cocktail bar”. We have been collecting lots of art and knick knacks for a long time, so hopefully the venue will feel lived-in from when we first open the doors.

There won’t be a food menu to start. We are surrounded by so many great restaurants with everything you could want on offer.

There is no greater feeling than finishing a meal with friends and hearing those cheeky, magic words, “shall we have one more somewhere else?”. We’d like Pendant to be the answer to that.

You have impressive resumes, what has been a key learning for you both?

Belinda: Always work with people better than you. It might feel nice for the ego but if you are the best in the building, it’s time to change jobs.

Luke: Make every step count. On a basic level, make your trip downstairs for that bottle of wine count by dropping off dirty tea towels on the way. On a more complex one, make every role in your career worth something. Also, hustle on that pre-close!

Where did the name come from?

We held a pop-up at the Black Pearl in late 2023 called “Name Our Bar”, where we had guests write suggestions on coasters. We had a great time the next morning reading through all the options.

Just a few weeks prior, we had lost our 15-year-old kelpie, whose defining feature had been one little floppy ear that wouldn’t stand up. Lots of the suggestions referenced her as a lovely tribute. A few months later we rescued a Dalmatian cross that has the same floppy ear.

A dog’s floppy ear is called a “pendant” ear, so it was born out of that. That’s the reason we have a little mascot branding in that shape on our menus and wine glasses. People will likely think it is because of the beautiful hanging lights over the bar, which we are also fine with. Plus it is just a nice, elegant name.

Pendant Public Bar is due to open in early May.

There is no greater feeling than finishing a meal with friends and hearing those cheeky, magic words, “shall we have one more somewhere else?”. We’d like Pendant to be the answer to that.