Toorak Has a Brand New Wine Bar
505 Wine Bar has all the essentials: wine, wine-matched snacks and a solid happy hour.
Looking for a place to embrace your inner wine snob? Well, you can do so on the corner of Malvern and Williams Roads in Toorak, which is home to the newly opened 505 Wine Room. A restaurant and bar with a 15-page wine list and a bottle shop attached, this upscale establishment offers a wide selection of local and international wines, along with comprehensive options for lunch and dinner specially paired to your shiraz or chardonnay.
Open from midday until late seven days a week, the menu at 505 Wine Room is split into different sections, with recommendations based on what you're drinking. Those sipping champagne, for example, might want to try oysters with wasabi tempura, pickled ginger, cucumber and ponzu, or kingfish with dashi, golden shallot and organic soy. A dry white goes well with BBQ king prawns, while a more full-bodied red can be matched with slow-cooked lamb shoulder or ox cheek with mashed potatoes and greens.
Dessert wines likewise deserve a sweet treat to go with them, be it churros with raspberry sorbet and chocolate dipping sauce, or Violet Crumble honeycomb with chocolate aero and violet ice cream. As is standard nowadays, the menu at 505 is seasonal, with plates designed to be shared.
Those wanting a drink to go can pay a visit to the in-house bottle shop, where expert sommeliers will help you make a selection. Alternatively, happy hour (or, rather, a happy 55 minutes) at the bar starts at 5.05pm, offering $5 wines of the moment, $5 tap beers and $5 select spirits until 6pm. The wine bar will join a select few in the area, which includes Toorak Cellars and their soon-to-be-open collaboration with Milton Wine in Prahran.
505 Wine Room is located at 505 Malvern Road, Toorak. For more information visit 505wineroom.com.au.
Images: Melissa Grant.
