Glass-clinking bonhomie:The Stowaway Bar in Freshwater.Brendon ThorneIt's a Monday night,it's cold,it's wet and Stowaway Bar is going nuts. Very audibly nuts. The kind of volume only heard at Anzac Day two-up or the runway of international airports.
Freshwater's most popular classroom-sized bar is chockers with guys in their mid-20s knocking back beers like there's no tomorrow.
I don't think I've ever been in a nautically themed joint that actually sounds and smells like a pirate tavern might have and after a couple of 4 Pines Pale Ales ($8) I make up my mind that I like Stowaway Bar and its noisy bunch of ragtags very much.
Old Greg's Ceviche with sweet potato shavings.Brendon ThorneI'm slightly disappointed,then,when I find out there's a 4 Pines Brewery staff party going down and things"aren't usually this hectic".
It's true. I return later in the week and it's a very different bar. There are a few small groups huddled around tables sharing jugs of punch and bottles of pinot gris and the noise level doesn't go past"somewhat excited school excursion".
Stowaway refers to itself as a dive bar on its Facebook page. It's not. The bouquet of wildflowers on each table kills that notion. A collection of antique paraffin lamps buries it,and the fact my Mr Ford's Blazer ($17) cocktail is served with a finger of shortbread sees the notion cremated and scattered over Queenscliff Bay.
A Gibson Girl cocktail.Brendon Thorne Now,call me Candy Pants Boys,but I liked that my blazer was served with bonus shortbread.
Lord knows it wouldn't work with a mezcal margarita but,by Jove,it does with a snifter filled of Angostura seven-year-old rum,Old Codger tawny port,roasted walnut syrup and a peaty spray of Lagavulin whisky. Served hot and finished with an orange peel and cinnamon quill,it's a soothing drop and I immediately wish I was drinking it in bed with a Wodehouse novel and not facing a long and wet 40-minute drive home.
The Gibson Girl ($16) is a little less sleep-inducing even though it has nothing in common with the two-onion martini named after Charles Dana Gibson's 19th-century drawings of the all-American girl. It's a homely a mix of Kraken rum,Angostura five-year-old,bitters,butterscotch schnapps,lime juice and pear reduction. A couple of these by a window in the summer and I'm happy.
Miss Maple's Short Ribs.Brendon ThorneThoughts of a ramen mission toRyo's on the way back across the bridge are dashed when a pair of chorizo tacos ($13) come to the table. They're chunky boys and I'd wager there's almost a whole chorizo and avocado split between each of the soft tortillas. They're fine and fatty although need a bit of crunch to cut through the mush.
Luckily"Old Greg's Ceviche"($16) has a Simply Red wig of fried sweet potato shavings you can borrow for texture. The rest of the ceviche isn't much chop thanks to rubbery scallops and thickly cut salmon,and I wish I'd abandoned my slider prejudice and ordered the chicken katsu buns instead (3 for $13).
It's all good,though. Whether it's a night of beer and back slapping or cocktails and conversation you can have a good time here. Staff genuinely care and have given it a red hot go to provide Freshie with a decent boozer.
You just might want to bring some earplugs if there's a party on.
THE LOW-DOWN
Go for … glass-clinking bonhomie in Freshie.
Stay for … a pizza from next door's kitchen.
Drink … The Gibson Girl.
And… there's a mulled cider in the winter that's warmer than a wetsuit.