Surf Hotel

Former The Age Good Food Guide Chef of the Year Jo Barrett (ex-Little Picket) is leading the food offering at the much-loved Surf Hotel, a freshly renovated 16-room motel on the Torquay seafront.

The restaurant seats 60 with a weather-dependent deck accommodating a further 50 people. The menu is designed to appeal to locals and tourists, including those surfing at nearby Bells Beach. Dishes are crafted alongside head chef Aaron Brodie, who Barrett first worked with at Oakridge winery.

The vagaries of supply and seasons are accommodated in flexible dishes. Rainbow chard is stuffed with the greens of the day plus rice and olives, while a fish-finger sandwich – made from scratch – incorporates different species in each crumbed piece of fish. Schnitzel is made from wild venison, and the menu also includes wild boar dim sims, all sourced via Discovered Wild Foods, which engages mobile hunters to harvest introduced species.

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