Rhone Wine and Tapas

LOCATION
Centrally located on Victoria Street in Albert Park, easily accessed by tram and a short walk from Beaconsfield Parade and the beach.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Take your tastebuds for a little Mediterranean getaway but stay within the style of Melbourne. The menu of Rhone Wine and Tapas is a homage to the sun-drenched region, with a diverse menu that roams across the cuisines of Spain, Italy, France and Greece. Owner and manager Lee Glasgow travelled extensively through the Mediterranean and lived in Spain for two years, and now brings his love of the region’s food and wine to this funky little Albert Park diner. Enjoy excellent tapas and share plates, boutique regional wines, eclectic yet stylish décor and an easygoing vibe that seems to roll in from the beach over the road.

Couples come here to share Rhone’s unique cocktails and snack on arancini with Romesco sauce; mini lamb souvlaki skewers, and piquant Manchego cheese with serrano ham and apricot compote. Bite sized seafood delights include grilled sardines with shallot and saffron dressing or calamari crusted with polenta and poppy seeds. Watermelon salad with walnuts and labne drizzled in zesty limoncello and mint dressing is a perfect summer lunch with the richly fruity sangria jugs.

A robust Greek stifado stew is fragrant with vanilla-infused beef cheek, and served with baby onions and bacalao potato mash. Chorizo, root vegetables and chickpeas accompany slow-braised pork while the classic paella Valenciana keeps its traditional mix of chicken, chorizo, prawns, mussels and calamari.

A fine selection of wines roams across both the Mediterranean and the Antipodes and features some top regional drops (including a namesake Cotes-du-Rhone or two). On weekends, enjoy breakfast the southern European way – sweet magdalenas served with café con leche, eggs 'BeneGreek' with spanakopita or decadent churros served with dark chocolate sauce.

Angela Costanzo