LOCATIONOn the fringe of the CBD.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIADon’t be deterred by its unassuming façade. Hotel Lincoln was a ‘gastropub’ before the word was even coined. Walk inside to discover it hasn’t forgotten its historical roots with a charming 1940s bar serving excellent quality, reasonably priced counter meals. The formal dining room takes it up a notch, with a sleek charcoal and white Art Deco refurbishment and honest, stunning food.
Chef Ross Beeley makes as much as he can in-house, baking his own bread twice daily, curing meats, ageing beef, making pickles and relishes and ensuring that superb quality produce is served throughout the entire pub. The blackboard menu in the bar relies on the morning’s market buys and changes daily. Classic pub fare such as the grilled beef burger, chicken schnitzel and Caesar salad are all executed with loving care, while a good choice of shareable gourmet plates creates a refined yet casual social snack.
In the dining room, enjoy duck rillettes or perhaps zucchini flowers stuffed with spanner crab, avocado and herbs to start. For mains, the honey and cardamom roast half duck is a delicious treatment of this bird, or try hot smoked salmon with a refreshing apple, fennel and radish salad, rounded by chive crème fraiche. The house-aged beef is char-grilled - this grass-fed Victorian beef served succulent with potato gratin and red wine butter. Such a dish should be enjoyed with some fine wine. Hotel Lincoln prides itself on its extensive list of old and new world drops with more than 200 choices. Try your fancy by choosing from three different sizes (150ml, ½ pint and pint) to experience several different flavours throughout the course of a meal. Notice the walls too, as Hotel Lincoln is constantly developing its own gallery space. The Lincoln Arts Project is a changing series of installations in the front bar featuring artists’ reflections on pub culture – just one more string this versatile Carlton pub has to add to its bow.
Angela Costanzo
DETAILSTucked away in Carlton’s dining precinct, The Lincoln dates back to 1854 and exudes all the charm of a traditional art deco corner pub. Today, the restaurant has been expanded to indulge lovers of fine food and wine with one of Melbourne’s most enjoyable dining experiences. In 2009, the front bar was fully restored to its former 1940’s splendour, and the rest of the hotel received an extensive refurbishment in early 2010.
The Lincoln houses three distinct areas: a traditional front bar with adjoining gallery space, a bistro and its renowned restaurant in the Lincoln Dining Room. The elegant dining room boasts a classic art deco monochrome colour palette, with stark white leather-bound dining chairs and shiny black timber tables against charcoal walls. The more relaxed areas have mood lighting galore, their dark timber finishes and forest green accents exude refined vintage appeal. Considered to be one of the first ‘gastropubs’, this culinary institution blends history and tradition with all that is unique about the city’s modern lifestyle.
FOOD AND WINEWhether you’re after a casual yet refined pub meal or an equally sumptuous dinner in a more formal setting, The Lincoln Hotel accommodates all moods with varied dining areas. The Lincoln Front Bar is ideally suited to enjoying a glass of wine or beer over a traditional pub meal using high-quality seasonal ingredients, and the menu changes daily according to the availability of produce from the Queen Victoria Markets. The Lincoln Lounge offers another upmarket, relaxed dining space with delicious seasonal modern Australian bar and a la carte menus. For more formal dining, the Lincoln Dining Room delivers superb, innovative meals from its a la carte menu to tables.
To match its delicious cuisine, the Lincoln Hotel has an enviable selection of new and old world wines. Wines added to the list are favourites of the staff themselves, and The Lincoln Cellar currently boasts a selection of more than 200 different drops.
FUNCTIONSRegardless of formality or occasion, The Lincoln Hotel can provide a space that matches function needs ideally. Casual get-togethers can be hosted at the charming Lincoln Front Bar, while corporate lunches or dinners are escorted to one of the Lincoln’s more formal settings. The events team has a flexible selection of a la carte and finger food and bar menus, which can be altered to suit individual needs.