FLYING FOX PUBLIC HOUSE

396 Bridge Rd, Richmond

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What’s on your British pub bingo card? Yorkshire puddings puffy like packing peanuts on steroids? Scotch eggs that rupture on impact? Sunday roast and steak night specials? Guinness and ale on tap? Don’t worry, there’s no warm beer here.

Bridge Rd’s new British boozer, The Flying Fox Public House, opened in June, and already is booked out in advance thanks to a few viral TikToks.

It’s not like Richmond needs another pub, but owners Alex Back and Sophie Machin want to bring a slice of London tavern life to the postcode.

The duo is slowly building their pub portfolio after launching St Kilda’s Lion and Wombat in 2023. But unlike the bayside venue, which is more neighbourly, The Flying Fox is much larger and modern. It lives across two levels, downstairs is a charming front bar with sepia-toned walls, a grand timber bar and freshly-felted pool table. There’s also sport on the telly, and tables outside to split the G with a mate ahead of a game at the G, and if you want to get serious about food; head upstairs to the candlelit dining room.

Chef Nathan Babos (ex-Pt Leo Estate) is on the pans, who takes a pub over a fine dining approach to his cooking, which is deliciously dialed down.

Start with the scotch egg, tightly packed pork hock and mince moulded around a jammy googer, dunked in the fryer to get that golden armour shell. The meat was a little dry, but that’s where a splodge of the sour cherry sauce helps.

Also try the Welsh rarebit doughnut, which is a riff on the cheese toast classic. The doughnut is oozing with a Guinness spiked cheese, served on a bed of caramelised onion which is kind of like Branston Pickle chutney.

The pipis, resting on a crumpet, were a little fiddly to remove from their shells but came with an electrifying ginger and spring onion sauce, which helped keep the stodge in check.

For larger plates, you could try the pie of the month, which this visit was fall-apart beef cheek jostling in a robust red wine sauce, or swing past for the Sunday roast; filled out with all the trimmings and those sky-high Yorkies.

On drinks, the list is simple but effective. There are 12 beers on tap, including Guinness and a swag of ales, as well as a classic cocktail list and wines from here and abroad.

The Flying Fox Public House is the type of pub you’d want as your local. Richmond, you lucky thing you.

Images: Supplied