Pub Of The Week: Home Hotel, Launching Place

2170 Warburton Hwy, Launching Place
Ph: 5967 3303
launchingplacehomehotel.com.au

When? 2 February 2024

SUMMARY:

Six years has passed since the last visit and the transformation from a good to a wonderful pub is evident throughout.

Context is appropriate here: The Home Hotel at Launching Place is located 55kms East of Melbourne and has a small semi rural population of 2500 people. There is no next door housing estate. In essence this is a destination pub.

But the journey is worth it. The Owner operators have bet the house (literal and figurative) and invested heavily on a gorgeous beer garden, fabulous outdoor playground for the kids and the pub has been thoroughly renovated with three spacious dining rooms, supporting the bar.

In spite of its relative isolation, the Home trades 7 days, Midday to 9pm. It is worth remembering that continuous trading here has been chequered over the years.

Pokies: No. TAB: No.

Food is better level, genuine value pub food with choice aplenty. Two highlights from the menu were

Golden fried chicken wings, sweet and sour tamarind sauce. $16. Toffee-like brittle covered the larger, meaty wings and the tamarind sauce lived up to its description. Unique for this omnipresent pub starter.
Charred octopus, romesco, lemon, escabeche cream. $19. Massive tentacle, cool char of the peppers, the ‘escabeche dipper’ added a sublime flavour profile.

It’s not high end; it’s a pub having genuine crack with real skin in the game. The food envy comes from the massive Ploughman’s Lunch. (32), the pub unashamedly supporting local artisans.

In closing, the basics of a community pub is great beer – yes – and a wine list that supports local producers. It is magnificent to see nearby locations such as Gruyère, Seville, Healesville, Dixons Creek represented and at the fairest prices I’ve seen since talking about pubs in 1996.

This is a great start to the year — Launching Place Home Hotel.

Score: 15.5/20