One of Melbourne’s premier wine bars, Milton has unveiled a striking new look and kitchen offering. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Milton now offers an expanded, elevated courtyard dining experience with a new open kitchen and a wood-fired oven a focus of the updated space.
Located in the heart of Malvern, the European-leaning wine bar now boasts sophisticated lighting, linen-dressed tables and new timber panelling throughout the courtyard dining room that seats up to 40 diners. While the front bar retains its original charm and iconic wall of wine, an intimate Private Dining Room is a new addition perfect for celebrations up to 12 people.
Milton’s famous 400-strong bottle list now features an extensive reserve list made up of rare and interesting back vintage cellar finds, and comes leather-bound ready for reading and discovery.
The new menu, overseen by group executive chef Charley Snadden-Wilson (ex-Etta, Embla, Town Mouse) and executed by head chef Tane Flanagan (ex-Matilda Bay Brewery, Capitano) offers a range of pizzas and wine-friendly snack-heavy plates cooked in the wood-fired oven.
Highlights include Skull Island prawns with garlic butter and woodfired flatbread; smoked leeks with hazelnut and ricotta; and smoked kingfish with green olive and pepper.
Standouts on the tight list of pizzas include a version of Hawaiian with an inspired addition of hot honey, and a Mushroom pizza that teams smoked shiitakes with herb pesto and comte cream. With a long-proofed dough made from a mix of 00, semolina and wholewheat, the bases are at once crisp and bready and easily digestible.
To finish, a changing selection of local and imported cheeses served with quince and lavosh might precede a burnt coffee panna cotta with date caramel and chocolate cremeux.
Director Lyndon Kubis says the hospitality landscape in Malvern has changed since Milton opened its doors, but the team’s mission remains as true today as it was in 2014.
“We opened Milton Wine Shop as an answer to the frustration we felt in not being able to drink the wines of the producers we loved and admired so very much without travelling to Fitzroy,” he says.
“Melbourne’s south and eastern suburbs are now awash with wine bars and restaurants selling wines from innovative, independent producers but 10 years ago this wasn’t the case.
“We opened with hope and optimism and to our great surprise the people loved it.”
He says the team is thrilled to welcome regulars and newcomers alike to their updated “neighbourhood pizza and wine bar”.
“After 10 years we felt it was time for a refresh and we’re thrilled with Milton’s updated look. We kept the front bar so people still see the Milton they know but now they’ll experience our new, elevated but relaxed version of Milton in the PDR and courtyard,” he says.
“We are still the local community centre people know and love, but Milton now comes with more reasons to linger for longer.”
To celebrate its 10 years, across the weekend of 2-4 August Milton will pay homage to the vintage that started it all – 2014.
The 2014 takeover will showcase the vintage through an extensive by-the-glass offering, top 2104 drops from the Milton cellar and the opportunity for people to BYO 2014 bottles without corkage.
Milton venue manager Harrison Young says what better way to honour Milton’s 10-year milestone than by raising a glass – or two – of wine bottled back at the beginning.
“We’re throwing a party going all weekend long to celebrate how far we have come and all the people that made Milton great along the way. We can’t wait to crack open some cracking bottles from 2014 and toast 10 great years so far – and years of good times to come!”