The Graham

Best restaurant for special occasion. Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff, sophisticated food and matching wine. Also they serve great Long Black.

This is not actually about the proper, posh restaurant at the front, but about The Graham’s Wine Bar at the back. If you’re not in the mood for a starched linen, fine diner, but like fine eats, this could be for you.
The Wine Bar is open Tuesday to Thursday from 4pm, Friday to Sunday from 2pm and has a cosy luxe feeling. A pretty chilled place filled with regulars, a mixed crowd and popular with over 30’s. I like it for a gossip filled catch up, meet-​up, casual meal, or a Saturday apéritif.
Recently given a facelift it’s a cosy space opening onto a narrow courtyard, so in Winter there is fireside seating and in Summer you can catch the breeze. A mix of soft furnishings and bar tables keep a casual sophistication.
As expected there are a good selection of wines by the glass and full bar service. Cocktails, 30 beers, cider and single malts can be found on a 20 page drinks list.
Chef Perry Schagen’s bar food is a real treat. Well crafted modern mini plate eats with a vaguely Asian feel include treats like pork belly sliders, soft shell crab, mini arancini, oysters, charcuterie, dumplings. One of my favourites are his masterstock cooked chicken ribs. I could eat a bucket of these.
You can even grab a selection of cheeses from the restaurant or more substantial items like steak sandwiches or a particular dish you fancy from the restaurant menu can be requested. The incredible desserts from the restaurant are also available in the wine bar.
My personal tip? We take the opportunity to have a couple of savoury bites from the bar menu, then order a share platter of ALL the desserts. If you lust for pretty, exotic, 5 star, fine dining desserts, you have to do this.

We dined here as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine lunch special. We were promptly reminded of this as we sat down to our menus. The cheap lunch meals reflect this both in size and the speed in which they come out, we were informed. Also in the (not so) welcoming speech, ‘we are told to join this lunch special to market our name, then we try and up sell.’ Really? Ruffled feathers early on, but the restaurant is totally out of our way, we would never come without the so called marketing ploy so perhaps be gracious for small favours oh three waiters that tried to leech out our order in the first five minutes of us sitting.
Small service gripes aside the food is damn fine. Tiny servings but we were warned. I had the salmon and leek and we had truffle fries and salad The microscopic dessert of pannacotta was so delicious — I found meringues and lemon curd and dehydrated strawberries and rasberries and all sorts of delights. The food is worthy of a four star review (at least) but the service was poor. We ended up spending over $ 200 for four of us and were out within an hour and a half. I would hardly call that big spending but enough to warrant a bit better service, it’s not just the food that creates a special place and meal.

I came here on the weekend for a drink in the sunny courtyard. The courtyard is very small, but seated a couple of diners alongside me and my drinking partner.
We were happy with the selection of wine by the glass, but there was just zero ambience here. There was no music or any background sound, making it awkwardly silent when sitting so close to the two other dining couples. The tacky/​sticky varnish on the wall seating also ruined my clothes :(

An amazing weekday lunchtime deal in a classy venue.
One of my favourite things is an express lunch menu and the Graham does this particularly well. From Monday to Friday enjoy 2 courses and a glass of wine for $ 35. Music to my ears, stomach and purse.
I chose the salmon with dill potato salad followed by the deconstructed rhubarb desert with a glass of Riesling. My husband opted for the mushroom orrechiette and the pork belly. Our waiter helpfully suggested that the mains are slightly smaller and we may wish to bolster it with some kipfler potatoes and some veggies. We agreed.
When the salmon arrived it did look petite but it’s richness meant that the portion size was ideal. The dish was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. As were the kipflers and veggies. The orrechiette looked great and tasted the same. The only room for improvement would be to have less curry with the pork belly. A lot of work had gone into the desert and it paid off.
The service is attentive and professional. The setting formal. Reservations can be made online.
In the evening enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere in the wine bar or courtyard.
A private room can be booked for gatherings.

I thought my friend was taking me the wrong way and I never would have stumbled upon this place. Glad she took me here, though. The wine bar is where we planted ourselves for a nice little catch up over a glass of three of beautiful wines — had the Rose and thought it was fantastic. Could have downed a bottle if it had been a rough week. The menu is very interesting — lots of small plates and fun choices like chorizo croquettes and oregano fries.
Definitely worth a visit and I would certainly recommend stopping by. It is a beautiful place with good food and very nice service. And a fantastic wine list.

This Hotel is often an easy one to drive or walk past, but once you stumble across it you will be glad that you did.
The Graham Hotel offers both a modern relaxed, and intimate dining setting. Perfect for a special occasion or a date.
Entrée: $ 14.50-$ 20.50
Mains: $ 26-​$ 34
Dessert: $ 11.50-$ 25
They also offer a gorgeous wine bar that offers offer 25 carefully selected choices by the glass, along with appetizers produced by locals.