Claremont Tonic

LOCATION
Located in South Yarra, Claremont tonic is around the corner from Chapel and Greville Street.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Tucked discretely inside a laneway in South Yarra, newcomer Claremont Tonic has entered the Melbourne dining scene with a clever mix of star power and wow factor. With The Millswyn and up-and-comer Touche Hombre in their back pocket, Davis Yu and Maison Davis’ third restaurant is definitely their most exciting yet.

Melbourne design team Hecker Guthrie are behind the industrial dining room, where wooden tables and metal chairs bask in a trademark neon glow from panther’s signs, while bric-a-brac scattered around the room are as whimsical as the take on Campbell’s soup pop-art on the bathroom doors. Add to this a rock soundtrack that demands attention, and you begin to realise Claremont Tonic is not playing by the rules.

The marble topped bar at Claremont Tonic is a destination unto itself. Two flamboyant bartenders expertly mix cocktails in unison, providing just as much entertainment as much liquid sustenance. Here, a unique cocktail list is themed around “survival in the jungle”, served with a cheeky twist. This may be the only place in Melbourne you could order a cocktail that is served in a plastic bag or a ‘C bomb’ - an entire cleaved watermelon filled with vodka, rhubarb juice and mint. A carefully chosen selection of sake, wine and beer is also on offer and ensures the bar is at capacity every weekend.

If, however you do need something to soak up those drinks, Chef Dylan Roberts, whose past stints include Ezard, Cutler & Co, and The Atlantic, heads the open kitchen and ensures diners are in good hands. CT’s menu is conveniently broken down by size and features a modern take on pan-Asian dining that is designed for sharing. Of the small plates, Jedd’s jewel oysters are topped with rice nectar jelly and wakame and served alongside an oyster cracker. It is the perfect way to start a meal. What Claremont Tonic is famous for, however, is their King Of The Chimichangas, DIY nori rolls – filled with king salmon, sushi rice and vegetables. This dish are seen making their way to almost every table and are well worth ordering if not just for the table theatre. A crab-meat som tom, or smashed papaya salad, flecked with pearls of picked crab meat, is a traditional and fitting accompaniment to any of the larger plates, including the cone bay barramundi which arrives on top of a pea-green edamame mash. It wouldn’t be appropriate to skip ‘Happy Endings’ so to finish, a gingerbread and carrot cake served with sesame ice cream and candied pistachios hits the spot.

For dinner, drinks or both, Claremont Tonic is more than capable of showing diners what all the fuss is about.

Aphrodite Vlahos