Of all the gin joints in Melbourne, this suburban distillery is one spicy discovery

If you’re in the quieter suburbs of Melbourne, 15 to 25 kilometres from the city, you often strike the empty bagel effect. This has nothing to do with an unfilled bread ring. It’s my name for the odd lack of dining options midway between the CBD and the regions.

You’ll never be too far from decent coffee, curry, pizza or parma because it’s Melbourne, after all. But if you want contemporary meals made with high-quality ingredients and you’d rather not have pokies in proximity, you’ll often need to head to the inner city or out to the regions, whether that’s the Mornington Peninsula, Bellarine or the Yarra Valley, for places to dine with a difference.

Dutch Rules alters the equation for Mitcham, 20 kilometres east of the city.

Since The Age Good Food Guide’s 2026 Young Chef of the Year Viveik Vinoharan started cooking here in April, locals have been piling in for oysters and skewers, sausages and Swiss rolls, all of it prepared with a Sri Lankan sensibility.

This is dining hall more than restaurant, a casual, semi-industrial space with a charcoal-fired open kitchen. There’s sport on screens and vinyl on turntables and, unusually, a gin distillery at the rear.

Dutch Rules was a spirits brand before it was an eating place, launched in 2022 by Sri Lankan-born Danny Perera, who also has Two Rupees brewpub in Clayton.

Gin is an important part of the experience, which is why I have four glasses of the spirit in front of me. Hey, it’s research. I’m making my way through the gin flight, four different sips starring specific botanicals. I love the Dutch Ceylon with tea and cinnamon, and I’m scared of the 58 per cent ABV Officers Cut, with toasted seaweed.

Vinoharan’s food ties itself to the gin with direct flavours and the joy of leaning into the Sri Lankan food he grew up with, as well as applying ideas from his French, Japanese and Italian training.

Kokis are a flower-shaped Sri Lankan fried biscuit, generally sweet. Here they’re savoury salt-and-vinegar, filled with a sauce made from leftover pumpkin seeds. The crisp, bright bite says a lot. Fragile and hard to make, kokis are something of a dying art. But Vinoharan doesn’t just replicate, he innovates.

Gorgeous crudites come with whipped lentil curry that presents like hummus. Lamb belly is marinated in a peppery mix of spices carefully toasted for two hours until it’s pungent, evoking the sneezes Vinoharan remembers from when he was little.

Lime-infused cabbage is charred and served over Jerusalem artichoke curry. Artichoke skins are deep-fried and laid atop like fish scales to finish a dish both impressive and comforting.

Swiss rolls are popular in Sri Lanka, though Vinoharan also fondly remembers them from Aussie birthday parties. His sponge is intensely chocolatey, rolled with quince jam, served with butterscotch and fenugreek ice-cream. Think sticky date pudding but surprising.

Locals are loving Dutch Rules, but why leave it to them? The venue is a 10-minute walk from Mitcham Station, a compelling option for anyone interested in food infused with energy, narrative and creativity.

This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.