Josie Bones – 98 Smith Street Collingwood    http://josiebones.wordpress.com

The bad boy from Masterchef has opened shop, and it’s right on our doorstep. Chris Badenoch, the man with the hat, has teamed up with fellow contestant Julia Jenkins to bring us Josie Bones, a Collingwood venue that is all about the ultimate food and beer experience.

Chris being a self-proclaimed “nose to tail” man, this place is all about the beast, from the almost pornographic painting of a headless rabbit above the bar, to the myriad of parts and cuts on the menu.

First impressions are of a simple, dark décor with a distinct relaxed feel and, meat aside, the standout aspect of this operation is its staff. Laid-back, but impressively knowledgeable about the dishes and drinks, they’re attentive and encouraging when it comes to asking questions and wanting to try something new.

Don’t assume you’ll be ordering quickly, because the first thing they do is point you to the drinks list. The Tome. The Bible. I didn’t count the pages, I don’t have the attention span. But there’s a ton of them. I gave up quickly and told our waiter what I usually like, he recommended the Tuatara Ardennes from NZ on tap at $11 a glass; while the bloke went for a cask aged Innis & Gunn IPA for $16. It seems a bit steep, but I guess you need to compare it to a wine bar, you’ll usually go if you want to enjoy fine wine. And this was bloody lovely beer.

Beverage choices made, it was onto the menu, which was a little simpler. Basically, it’ll probably depend on how adventurous you are or otherwise. From an old school scotch egg (albeit with a quail egg twist) or charcuterie selection, to Octopus and Bone marrow cigars and rolled pigs head, you’ll notice some will require a little more daring than others.

We did try the scotch egg ($6 each), and for my British counterpart raised on them cold and off the counter, it was a big pass mark. The trotter fritters, though small in serving size at three small fritters, were delicious croquette like creations – light, crunchy crumbs with bits of salty trotter, topped with crispy sage leaves and romesco sauce.

The litmus test for us was the pork belly ($19), a place that prides itself on its meat dishes should be able to do it well, and these guys do indeed. Slow cooked squares, paired with pickled peaches and once again those crunchy sage leaves. But the absolute surprise for me was the dish I enjoyed the most of the day. In fact, for some reason, there’s a part of me that doesn’t even want to admit it – because it was the black pudding. But it was house-made black pudding ($18), and it was suitably thin for me, and it was subtle, and soft and warm, and it came with a wonderfully fresh, inspired salad of apple matchsticks, preserved ginger and ginger beer jelly. What a revelation!

I should have known the vegetable dishes wouldn’t be quite as impressive as the meatier morsels, the single eggplant stuffed zucchini flower was brilliant, but wasn’t so blown away by the thin strips of raw zucchini it was placed on, nor the $18 price tag; and now that I look at the ingredients in the fennel, radish, rocket and preserved lemon salad ($9), I don’t how I could have wondered why it was so bitter.

With staff dutifully looking after us throughout, we moved on to some other great beer choices, including an 8 Wired Poppy India Red Ale to go with the pork belly and black pudding, and some brilliant fruitier numbers for dessert – the best a local one with a great citrus twist, the Red Duck White Garden Witbier. There is a part of the menu called “Not Beer” for those not enamoured with the frothies, and there’s a good variety of local and international ciders, wines, and spirits. Won’t say much about the actual dessert – except “Blackberry and Guinness Bombe Alaska” ($13). I didn’t have room. But I made some.

All in all, it was what they promised – a great food and beer experience. The prices of some dishes were steeper than I might have expected and serving sizes bordering on small, but overall the service and taste made it just a fantastic, relaxed lunch.

3AW Food - Eating Melbourne

3AW is Food: Melburnians love to eat so it's fortunate we live in the culinary capital of Australia. On this dedicated food page you will find the latest recipes by Bob Hart as well as Tony Leonard's Pub of the Week reviews. La Luna head chef Adrian Richardson also serves up a dish from his own cook book and food reviewer Ela Carte visits one of Melbourne's hottest eateries weekly.