The mediocrity of the status quo isn’t always apparent until you experience excellence. See:Saint George’s first-rate fritto misto,a piping hot jumble of soft calamari,crunchy prawns,flathead fillets,crisp sage and tartare sauce.

It’s not surprising,with chef Karen Martini as culinary director. Her spanner crab on toast is dressed in lemony brown butter,and curly strozzapreti pasta mingles with pistachio pesto and stracciatella. The salmoriglio sauce for a Josper-grilled whole flounder is piquant.

For dessert there’s delightfully moist almond torta doused in Strega,the minty Italian liqueur. Soaring ceilings and brick walls give this historic pub an airy,modern feel,and cocktails are suitably beach-appropriate. Saint George is a worthy contributor to the revival of this part of town.

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Melbourne’s Southern Suburbs

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