Press PLAY to hear Kara Monssen’s full review

Ellie’s Kiosk

Foreshore, 30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda

We have to make the most of these warm Melbourne days — even in January. So I visited a new pop-up restaurant that’s the definition of summertime in our glorious city, Ellie’s Kiosk.

It lives in a beach box out the front of Stokehouse restaurant in St Kilda, where you can feel the dining room floor beneath your toes, the ceiling is an expansive blue without a cloud in sight and everyone gets a knockout view of Port Philip Bay.

This hot-day people magnet is run by self-taught chef Ellie Bouhadana, who went viral during Covid thanks to her lockdown famous focaccia (even popstar Dua Lipa approves).

The southside chef is best known for her time at Hope Street Radio in Collingwood, and her award-winning cookbook Ellie’s Table, which is a collection of family recipes honouring her Mediterranean and North African roots.

Ellie’s Kiosk operates on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are no bookings and the hours change weekly depending on the weather (see @ellies.table on Insta for accurate opening times).

So does the menu, which is a seafood heavy haul cooked on the barbie.

You may start with the tuna briout; a brik-filo pastry enveloping confit tuna and salty green olives.

The parcel is deep-fried until shattery golden, served alongside a racy tomato and caper relish.

Maybe you’ll try the vine-wrapped feta, cooked over coals. Ours is a little dry, however, the flavour is briney, salty and will go great guns with a beer.

Speaking of, they start at $12 a bottle and even have Melbourne Bitter longnecks. Wine starts at $16 a glass, with a short yet interesting list of bottles, plus there are spritzes and vermouth over ice for something refreshing.

Other snacks include a fish pita, made from a mash of prawns, cod belly and sardines, which is pressed over coals until bitter and smoky; squiggled with harissa and yoghurt to finish.

While larger shares include Skull Island prawn and vine leaf skewers, again barbecued until wonderfully charry, with a lick of chilli for kick, or a fish which can be bought whole or by the gram starting at 100g depending on the size of your group.

Make sure you get in early, as some popular dishes sell out fast on hot days.

Ellie’s Kiosk has soul, substance and is behind some seriously heartfelt cooking.

Run, don’t walk, this summer.

Images: Supplied