Fun and fresh new menus

Fun and fresh new menus With the warmer end of the year now upon us, Southbank’s favourite local eat out Downstairs Bistro & Lounge has just launched new brunch and dinner menus that are both quirky and delicious. Between breakfast dishes that pay homage to millennial favourites and lunch meals that tip their hat to Quentin Tarantino, Downstairs restaurant manager Miles Cole and his team have come up with some inspired new offerings.  “We wanted to experiment by having a quirky aspect to our brunch menu,” Miles said. “This was done in order to freshen up our day menu and to suit today’s market and Melbourne’s growing brunch culture.” Locals can now get “brunchy” seven days a week with quirky dishes such as the “Millennial’s Mortgage”, “Senor Sausage”, “Monsieur Fungi”, “Ali Baba and the Baked Eggs” or the “Big Nelson”! A tease to generation X investing more on avo smash than a mortgage, the Millennial’s Mortgage symbolises that famous Bernard Salt news article that caused quite a stir since doing the rounds in 2017! As Miles said: “enjoy the now and don’t worry about the future!”   The Big Nelson pays tribute to Nelson Asofa-Solomona of Melbourne Storm who has a reputation for being the big man in the team and a fan favourite. The local association fits in to what is a big brekkie fit for the man himself! If you’re up for a something simple for breakfast, then “Plain Jane Toast and Condiments”, “Grandma’s Apple Porridge” or “Eggs-Actly How You Like” have got you covered. Moving onto lunch, which kicks off daily from 11am, all of the burgers have been titled in a way that pop culture lovers can identify with as they each pay homage to a specific scene in Quentin Tarantino’s classic movie Pulp Fiction.  Cleverly picking out some key dialogue provided by Samuel L. Jackson, the titles have been dubbed over slightly to work with the ingredients in each burger from “Ummmm This is a Tasty Burger” to the “Royale with Leaves.” Salads such as the “Kong Fu Calamari”, hearty hole-fillers like a “Cheeky Parma” and pizzas from the “Pumpkin Patch”, “Prince of Persia” and “Mr Potato Head” round off an amazing lunch menu topped off by a selection of all-day cocktails.  The team has also just introduced a new coffee blend from Rumble Coffee Co in Kensington, which sources its beans from all parts of the world. For something sweet with your coffee, fresh treats from the delicious Chocolatine Melbourne in Caulfield are also now available.   With dinner, it’s time to get serious! The new menu has placed an emphasis on some lighter options and sharing plates with a “sophisticated and classy” offering as Southbank heads into summer, according to Miles. “The dinner menu has been designed around the idea of people coming in and sharing dishes on the three nights we are open,” he said. “We have the menu split into smaller sharing, larger sharing and the pizzas.” Along with local favourites such as the lasagne spring rolls and pork belly lollipops, Miles said he was looking forward to serving up his smoked pork ribs, which are smoked on the grill first and then slow cooked for 12 hours before being served.   And while food is important, don’t forget to drink! The bar offers an extensive range of wine and craft beer, which is changed seasonally. A “wine of the week” will be alternated and Happy Hour will still be on from Thursday to Saturdays from 3pm - 6pm. www.downstairs.net.au